Jennifer Craw and the Guardian of Fate 17
by jcwriter
Summary: Series 4 Book 3. An experiment gone bad. An immortal seeking vengeance. And an incomparable Tinker out of commission. As legends of old manifest around him, can Severus save Ambrose and Jennifer from their fates without sacrificing his own free will?
1. Whistle Blower

_A/N Welcome to Series Four Book Three (Seventeen) of the Jennifer Craw books (which starts with Jennifer Craw and the Phoenix Wand, 1-14, then three short stories, with this series preceding it starting with Paintings of Twilight.) This is without a doubt a character builder type story that involves all the characters (mostly OC's, but if you're a regular reader you know that by now ;) with the primary focus being on Jennifer, Severus, and Lucky... and most especially Ambrose and Toby. Jennifer and Sev still have quite a bit they need to sort out thanks to last book's headaches, and Lucky's past starts to catch up with her and her second ability is revealed (if you haven't figured out what it is yet... some of you may have already guessed) And Ambrose is in for some serious wake up calls and finds out one of the lessons of this book; Heritage can be dangerous. With that, I'd like to dedicate this book to my nine year old son, who can in many ways be just as exasperating as the son of Merlin..._

_The book have some serious dark moments when it comes to Lucky especially, and has some suggestive content (more or less like last book) but you should find it a much lighter book than the last and ultimately an easier read. Good to see you back! JCWriter.)  
_

Jennifer Craw and the Guardian of Fate

Chapter One

Whistle Blower

Severus Snape, Headmaster of Hogwarts, was not a man who usually trifled with anniversaries; short of perhaps grabbing a trinket from Tassels and Panning for his wife. It wasn't even a major anniversary, being the twenty-ninth. But the year before had tried his marriage with Jennifer to the very brink of disaster, and Jennifer, who had been eating up his constant spoiling and pampering like a sweet tooth locked in Honeydukes, would soon find that the old fool had finally given in to something that Jennifer had wistfully been wanting for years and years and years.

It was a family dinner whistle.

They had gotten home from Hogwarts quite late the night before. Jennifer, happy to be back, had snuck out of bed to try and go all-out making breakfast for Severus before he had time to stir. But the moment she stepped in the kitchen and saw the cord, she squealed outright with joy, half tempted to blow it then and there if she hadn't known that she'd have woken up most her family in the process.

Jennifer, who had originally been thinking breakfast for five, immediately began planning breakfast for fifteen, pulling every last egg, sausage, scone and slice of bread out of the cabinet. She also grabbed flour, chocolate chips, syrup, and anything else she could think of that any person in the family was even remotely fond of and piled it on the counters, filling up every last surface until she had to resort to using levitation spells for more space.

Severus decided not to say a word. He simply leaned on the door in the hallway and watched, shaking his head all the while and moving only long enough for Ben and the baby to get past. But Ben stopped short just inside the door, gazing at the stove thoughtfully.

"I don't suppose there's any hot water on there somewhere?" Ben said, and Jennifer looked up in surprise.

"Oh…bottle, right, I'll start on that now," Jennifer said, moving a griddle she was heating towards the ceiling and putting a pot of water on. Ben looked over at Severus unsurely to find that he was rolling his eyes at his wife.

"Jennifer…" Severus began, immediately getting tackled with kisses. Sighing, Ben went to the icebox to fish the bottle out and put it in the water.

"I can't believe it! We finally have our own dinner whistle!" Jennifer said enthusiastically.

"Yes…actually…" Severus began, lifting his chin out of range and got his neck kissed instead. "Might I point out the word 'dinner' in the term dinner whistle?"

"Well, yes, I know, but I want to try it out now!" Jennifer explained going back over to the counter, Ben shaking his head but not saying a thing as he waited for Icarus' bottle to heat up.

"Fine, perhaps I can understand your wanting to try it out. But might I also point out that even though all of your children might hear that bell when you pull it that there's no guarantees that all of them are going to show up? It's a suggestion, not a command, after all. I seriously doubt we need _all_ of this food."

"Oh, but…they all like different things," Jennifer protested, Severus staring starkly at her. "Alex likes her eggs poached, but Alicia won't go anywhere near those, and Lucky prefers pancakes, of course, where Andrew won't touch them unless he makes them…not to mention Francis is a vegetarian and he only eats fruit in the morning, and that's not even getting into the particulars of the grandchildren."

"Icarus likes his milk warm, and Janus likes his milk cold," Ben chuckled at her, taking the bottle out of the water and going over to sit at the counter.

"Well, I meant if Corey and his family decide to come, of course," Jennifer said with exasperation and Severus closed his eyes to keep from rolling them again.

"You did warn the others about this whistle thing, I hope?" Ben asked. Before Severus could answer, there was a scream from the front room.

"Oh, Severus, can you get Janus? I'm rather busy," Jennifer said, barely looking up from the griddle.

"Mercy? Can I just get coffee at the table?" Severus sighed, walking towards the front room to get Janus, who simply raised his hands insistently.

"Oh, I can get your coffee, Severus," Jennifer protested, but the Head House Elf had already set it on the table, having wanted to find a way to help for quite some time.

"I have it," Severus said, plopping Janus down in a high chair and then sitting down, pretending to ignore the boy. Janus stared at him accusingly before he began to kick impatiently. "I'm sorry, did you want something?" he asked unconcernedly. "Here, I'll take that," he said when Ben tried to give Janus a cup of milk. "I have this one, you have your hands full," he added, shooing Ben away. Ben frowned but went back over into the kitchen, blinking when Severus decided to add some of Janus' milk to his coffee and put it back on the table. Janus cried out in protest, stretching his arms out. "Oh is this what you want?" Severus asked, holding up a spoon, but the boy simply kicked and cried again.

"Severus, what are you doing?" Jennifer shouted from the kitchen.

"Teaching," Severus said back, giving the boy the spoon and then went back to his coffee. Jennifer peered in and shook her head before going back to what she was doing, while Ben was still watching curiously as his ill-mannered son chucked the spoon and reached towards the bottle again. "Milk?" Severus asked Janus. Janus glared at him. "Milk? Say it, just attempt it and you can have it. Until then, it stays here," Severus said, going back to his coffee. Suddenly the milk disappeared and Severus immediately jumped up and grabbed it from Janus before he could take a drink. "Oh, no you don't. That won't work with me. You won't be getting any 'isn't that cutes' or 'look what he can do now' or even any 'I'll give it to you if you stop crying' responses while I'm here. I am home for two whole weeks, and in the meantime, you are going to have to deal with me," Severus said firmly. "Milk?" Janus glared at him. "Fine, I can be just as stubborn as you can be," he said unconcernedly.

Just then, there was a low air whistle sound like the whistle on a boat, and Severus glanced over to see Jennifer looking quite elated.

"Should I do it again?" Jennifer said after she thought about it a moment.

"Once is more than enough," Severus said, and there was a knock at the door. "There, that proves my point."

Jenniffer hurried over to the door, opening it and then laughing and hugging Corey and Rose as their children ran in and began fighting over seats.

"About time you blew that thing, Mom, the natives were getting restless," Corey chuckled.

"Oh, so you knew?" Jennifer frowned.

"Do you really think I'd buy something like that without a family warning?" Severus said, and then glanced up in time to see Francis hopping out of a painting. He then took the painting off and set it on the floor before carefully helping his pregnant wife out. Andrew came in from the back to try a sneak a peek in the kitchen.

"Make yourself useful and transfigure another table outside for the kids or something," Jennifer scolded him.

"I should have known I would be put to work," Andrew complained.

"You should know better than going into that kitchen by now," Severus said, turning back to Janus. "Milk?"

"Someone go upstairs and get Lucky," Jennifer said.

"I'll do it!" Natalie said.

"Me too!" Hope said following her up, nearly crashing into Aurelius and Alex who had just come in the door.

"This house is insane," Aurelius stated as he saw the chaos and shook his head. "You're going to regret getting that thing, Father."

"More than likely," Severus agreed. It was at that point that Alex stepped in and Janus started babbling up a storm while sobbing pathetically.

"What do you mean that you're starving to death and Grandfather doesn't love you? Of course he does!" Alex said and picked him up before Severus could protest and handing him the cup off the table.

"Alexandria, you are being counterproductive again," Severus complained, but she ignored him, listening as Janus began to babble and cry even more and Alexandria stared at her father.

"Did you really steal his milk?" she asked.

"Putting a bit in my coffee is hardly stealing…"

"Oh Father, how could you! You know how sensitive he is!" Alex said with exasperation. "I'll get you a fresh cup, Janus," she told him, taking him to the kitchen. Janus smiled triumphantly over her shoulder while Severus glowered at him, plotting to get even.

Just then, there was the sound of clamoring feet on the stairs.

"We found her!" Natalie declared.

"Found me? They tackled me!" Lucky complained.

"We didn't tackle you. We pounced you, there's a difference," Hope said indignantly.

"Lucky, why don't you take your nieces and nephew out to the table in the backyard and keep an eye on things?" Jennifer suggested, handing her a tray.

"Me? Babysit? Am I gonna get paid?" she asked.

"Out!" Jennifer said.

"I think I'd better sit out there too," Rose decided. "You know how Destiny's been since she learned the 'L' word."

"I seriously doubt she can get into trouble out there with it," Corey chuckled.

"Maybe, but I don't trust her," Rose said, grabbing some cups and heading outside.

"Destiny learned a new word?" Jennifer asked brightly.

"Yeah, well, apparently she's a Focus Caster, Mum," Corey said. "And we're already starting to pay for it."

"Are you certain it isn't just W magic, Corey? It can be quite common at that age," Severus said.

"No, no, no. Her new word is 'Lumos,'" he said in a low voice, making sure she was outside first. "See, we've been hitting the stage where we have a fight at night over keeping the light off and on and…well, she overheard us. Now she's been turning them off and on at random for fun."

"Maybe she'll get tired of it," Francis chuckled.

"Hopefully before the neighbors start complaining that our farm has turned into a lighthouse," Corey said dryly. "So has Janus started talking yet?" he asked when he saw Ben had come back in. He shook his head, glancing at the kitchen before answering.

"He keeps holding out and only talks to his mother on the weekends," Ben said in a lowered voice. "He is catching up in other areas, though."

"Yes, he's extremely intelligent, in point of fact," Severus murmured, "but that's nothing compared to just how obstinate he is."

"An obstinate child in this family? Blasphemy," Alicia chuckled.

"You'll get yours soon enough," Severus warned her, while Andrew propped his head up.

"You know, if I keep coming to these family gatherings, I swear I won't have any reservations left about staying a bachelor forever," Andrew decided.

"Here we are! Finally got everyone settled out there," Jennifer explained as she and Alex took their seats, beaming at them. "Isn't this marvelous? Rather like a holiday, isn't it?"

"Considering none of us were sure you were even going to make it to this anniversary, I'd say it's definitely worth a holiday," Andrew said.

"Yes, well, let that be a lesson to all of you, never take anything for granted," Severus said evenly, and Jennifer put a hand on his, smiling lovingly.

"Especially each other," Jennifer added.

"Well, I would like to suggest we do something extra special for next year, assuming we get there in one piece," Corey chuckled. "Rose and I were wondering if since we're going to be having our Pumpkin Anniversary next year and you two your thirtieth, and being they're so close together, we could have a joint party or something."

"I like that idea," Jennifer said enthusiastically before Severus had much time to think about it.

"Wow, it's staggering, isn't it? I still remember when you two were dating!" Alex said.

"Date? We didn't date, we simply got stuck together all the times you decided to set us up," Corey said accusingly. "Come to think of it, I don't think we had an actual date until our honeymoon."

"What about you, Mum, did you two date?" Andrew asked.

"Well…sort of," Jennifer said, glancing at Severus who was gazing at her steadily. "Although nearly all of it involved work. Security patrols, marking papers, that sort of thing, but then considering I was marked for death and Severus was supposed to be working for the other side…well, we didn't exactly have that many options," she said dryly, and noticed everyone gazing at her with open interest. "I suppose the actual first date was him simply offering to 'save me a seat' at a Quidditch game…of course, I didn't make it to the end, I was rather too busy getting tortured at that point," she said, chuckling softly to herself despite the fact that all the children had blinked.

"That stupid mirror of yours," Severus said, shaking his head.

"Well, how could I have known they had rigged it? You know how naïve I was back then, Severus. Besides, it worked out, didn't it? Thanks to you and Harry."

"Harry? Harry did nothing but nearly get both of you killed!"

"Now, Severus, he did break the wand…"

"And started Voldemort rampaging for a new one, don't forget."

"It would have been worse if he had kept it, and you know it," Jennifer said.

"Has anyone here heard this story before?" Andrew wondered out loud. Even Corey shook his head, and he knew more than most; Francis was the only one who had apparently heard it. "You know, you really ought to write some of these down or something."

"Out of curiosity, did any of your dates _not _involve he-who-isn't-supposed-to-be-named-at-the-table?" Corey asked with a chuckle. Jennifer thought about it for quite some time, glancing at Severus.

"Only the ones involving marking papers in our rooms," Jennifer admitted.

"Well, that explains why Father put that on of his old Chocolate Frog Cards," Alicia grinned.

"Actually, I got the impression it might have meant something more than what it said," Andrew said, looking for some sort of confirmation, noting that his mother had quickly pushed her glasses up.

"How about we switch off ancient history and talk about something else?" Severus suggested. Francis cleared his throat.

"Well, there is something I wanted to mention, since we're all together," Francis said, Alicia smiling at him encouragingly. "I received some news in the post the other day that a position was opening up for a Stoddard first grade teacher. Apparently they looked up my inquiry from the year before and asked if I was interested."

"What?" Severus said blankly.

"Now, Severus, you knew Francis wanted to teach younger children! I think it's marvelous, isn't it marvelous?" Jennifer said supportively.

"Peachy," Severus said flatly.

"You did only ask for one more year, sir," Francis pointed out.

"Now, don't you worry about that, Francis, we'll find someone. It's more important that you find your own niche in work you'll enjoy," Jennifer smiled at him. "Isn't that right, Severus?"

"I suppose, although I am beginning to fear that the Defense position is about to see a reemergence of the dreaded One Year Curse," Severus said so dryly that Jennifer chuckled at him.

"I don't think it's going to be as hard as you believe finding a replacement, Severus," Jennifer said, shaking her head at him.

"I'd like to see you try and come up with someone who's both qualified to do the job and the board will approve of in two months time," Severus retorted.

"There's no need for that, Severus. I can do it in two seconds," Jennifer said. "Aurelius, would you like to try your hand at the Defense job?"

"Sure, why not," Aurelius shrugged. "Just for a year, though."

"Fine," Jennifer nodded, turning to Severus who was looking back and forth between them. "There you are. Now you have another year before you have to worry about it."

"That's no good! I was hoping you'd bring someone new in, preferably female," Andrew said, only half joking. "How am I ever going to meet a nice girl when you haven't been hiring women lately, Father?" Aurelius rolled his eyes and then concentrated on his breakfast, ignoring his brother.

"What about Tracey?" Alex asked.

"She was too nice, unfortunately," Andrew said. "I couldn't get anywhere with her!" he said with exasperation. Alicia had to hold her nose to keep her milk from coming out of it. "After all, we went out for a whole month…solid…practically. I'm sorry, but there has to be some sort of happy medium!"

"I'm afraid to ask what your definition of a happy medium is," Ben put in.

"In Andrew's case, somewhere between the ceiling and the floor, and always horizontal," Aurelius said. Alicia snickered, and Francis nudged her.

"Rel, stop criticizing something you know absolutely nothing about," Andrew said.

"Boys, please…" Jennifer said.

"He's a boy. I'm not," Andrew said.

"Do you really want me to get involved?" Severus asked.

"I swear, anytime we get around this table, those two always revert to teenagers," Alex said with exasperation. Before either of them could turn on their sister, Hope ran in with Lucky following more casually behind.

"Uncle Pyther! Lucky says you finally got your animagus form! Can we see it?" Hope asked.

"Really? What form?" Corey asked.

"Oh…a swallow, actually," Francis said.

"Really? Can you carry a coconut?" Ben asked. Lucky snickered while Corey simply coughed it off.

"Um…pardon?" Francis asked.

"I think we should clock his air speed too," Corey said.

"Ya, that'd be fun!" Lucky agreed.

"Come on, I want to see!" Hope insisted, pulling on him.

"Hey! I don't remember any of the family making this much of a fuss over my squirrel!" Andrew protested as Francis was dragged outside.

"The reception from the girls at school more than made up for that," Alicia retorted, the others laughing in response.

"Well! This is nice, isn't it?" Jennifer said brightly, glancing over at her children happily. "Do you want to do it again for dinner?" Everyone stopped eating and stared at her.

"Good God, man, you turned our mother into Molly Weasley with this thing, didn't you?" Aurelius said, staring accusingly at his father. Severus simply glanced at them apologetically when Jennifer clung happily to his arm, while the others began glancing at each other as if silently plotting on how they were going to get rid of it.


	2. Milk, Mungo's, and Muggle Studies

Chapter Two

Milk, Mungo's, and Muggle Studies

It was the food bill and the countless trips to Dagda's Market that finally convinced Jennifer that blowing the whistle every night was probably not a good idea. She always managed to get herself extremely disappointed when one of them or many of them or even once all of them decided not to come for an evening, and the icebox was overflowing with leftovers. To Severus' relief, it had only taken a week before she finally gave in and opted to simply send everyone an Owl every day that she didn't get to see them, spending long hours at her desk. Severus sighed in resignation. Why would she be having such a nasty case of 'Empty Nest' syndrome when she still had a daughter and two grandchildren in the house at her constant disposal?

Of course, a lot of Janus' time, especially in the mornings, was being spent with his grandfather… not that the experience was pleasant for either of them. In fact, Janus seemed to have inherited both Snape and Craw stubborn streaks combined, quite determined not to cooperate no matter how hungry he was. Often Ben would watch from the doorway anxiously, unconvinced that Snape's tactics would work but admitting to himself that something had to be tried. It was Saturday now, and Ben as much as Severus was growing quite concerned that Alex's arrival would undo Severus' attempts at getting Janus to cooperate.

"Porridge?" Severus inquired of Janus, who was throwing another tantrum in his high chair. "Or Milk?" he asked, quickly blocking the wish as it came in and firmly putting the cup back on the table again. Janus glared at him.

"Maybe the words are just too hard," Ben said from where he sat patting Icarus' back. "Maybe something easier?"

"I'm not stooping to baby talk to make it 'easier.' He needs to learn the proper words," Severus said firmly. "Although right now, I really would just settle for an attempt. Milk?" he said again, showing Janus the cup. Janus simply sucked on his thumb and looked tearful again. Just then, they heard the door and both of them groaned in resignation as they heard Alex's voice. "I don't suppose I could convince you to take her abroad for a weekend?"

"You could convince me, but I'm not so sure about her," Ben admitted. He then got drowned out by Janus' loud babbling and crying.

"What do you mean you haven't been fed yet? It's nearly ten-thirty!" Alex said in horror as she walked in. "Why are you starving my baby? Here, give me that!" she snapped, putting the bowl and glass on his tray and handing him a spoon, frowning at the two men who were giving her a dirty look. "Father, I think you're going way too far with this whole talking thing. He's never going to learn if you keep bullying him!"

"No, he's never going to learn if you keep doing the talking for him," Severus said firmly. "He should have been talking months ago, Alexandria, at least some basic words."

"I moved out, didn't I?" Alex said irritably, brushing the boy's hair with her hand as he downed his milk so nobody could take it away from him again.

"That isn't enough if you're going to encourage bad behavior on the weekends," Severus sighed.

"I'm not encouraging bad behavior at all! Am I, Janus?" Alex said, kissing his forehead.

Janus suddenly put down his spoon and pointed angrily at his grandfather.

"Milk!" Janus said accusingly. Severus and Ben looked over at him in astonishment, while Alexandria looked positively horrified.

"He said it," Ben said, awestruck.

"I'll say he did!" Alex said with such open fury that the two of them looked at her curiously as she took Janus out of his chair. "How could you? How could you teach him such an awful word! What have you been doing, cussing all the time in front of him or something?"

"What exactly is it that you thought he said?" Severus squinted, glancing at Janus who was pointing his finger at his grandfather again for good measure.

"Milk!" Janus said. Alex gasped and covered his mouth.

"Oh no! Don't say that word! My poor baby! That is it! I can't have you teaching him words like that for your own amusement! I'm going to hire a nanny or something. There's way too much male influence on him!" Alex said angrily, stomping upstairs to their rooms and taking a happy Janus with her.

"What in the world just happened?" Ben asked.

"What happened is that we just got outsmarted by an eighteen month old baby," Severus said curtly. "Apparently, what he was thinking of and what he was saying were two different things."

"But a baby that age doesn't understand what cussing is!"

"Benjamin, a baby that age understands bowel movements well enough, I'm pretty sure we can figure out from that just what she heard," Severus said.

"I'll put Rus down in the living room. I'm going to go see if I can't talk her down and somehow convince her what he really said," Ben decided.

"Good luck," Severus said dryly, shaking his head when they left. He reluctantly got up and went through the kitchen to check on Jennifer, hard at work on her herb garden. He had every intention of interrupting her, but he after watching her decided to stand there and wait until she noticed him. Finally she sat up and glanced around, looking at him with exasperation.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked accusingly.

"Am I? You're the Truth Seeker, after all," Severus mused. "Although, we might have another one." Jennifer looked more interested now, taking off her gloves.

"Janus?" she asked.

"Well, he is highly manipulative for a child his age, after all, and I'm pretty sure now he's not an Omnivox, considering he just decided to repeat one word while thinking another," Severus said.

"Did he?" Jennifer said, gazing at Severus' face before chuckling and shaking her head. "Alex really needs to wise up before they have a complete monster on their hands."

"They already do have one in my opinion, but you know how she gets. I can only go as far as they let me, it's their child after all," Severus grunted.

"Well, look on the bright side, you will have some control on him when he gets to school in ten years," Jennifer chuckled.

"I pale to think what that child is going to be like if Alex keeps spoiling him as she is," Severus scowled.

"Well, right now, she's mostly suffering from guilt from having to be gone during the week, Severus, give her some time," Jennifer said.

"Yes, I realize that, but it would be nice if she realized that it's going to come back and haunt her if she's not careful," Severus said. He paused then, listening to something with a frown. A moment later, the noise got loud enough that he could hear it, and then obnoxiously louder before shutting off all together. "Why don't those Blacks ever just Apparate or use the Floo like everyone else?" Severus complained in annoyance.

"Because they're Blacks," Jennifer chuckled, getting up and dusting herself off as Severus went to see which one it was. He strode into the living room just as Lucky let Sirius in.

"Aren't you getting a little old for that sort of thing?" Severus asked critically.

"Well, I'd rather look my age and feel young instead of the other way around…like you," Sirius retorted, Severus smiling poisonously at him. "Anyhow, is Jennifer around? I wanted to talk to her about St. Mungo's Orphan Benefit. They're doing a dance this year."

"Oh, no. Can't we just send money?" Severus complained.

"Do you really think she'd let you?" Sirius chuckled. "Besides, Anna's on the organization committee this year, so I think your sister would be a little miffed if you didn't go. Which reminds me, she wants you to drop by to talk about a property we just acquired."

"Really? Why?" Severus said.

"Well… I'll let her tell you about that, since it's school related. Besides, the idea will sound better coming from her," Sirius chuckled.

"I can't see how a property acquisition could be school related, but I admit I wouldn't mind coming over and seeing her for a bit," Severus mused, glancing into the kitchen to see Jennifer coming inside.

"Oh, hello, Sirius! How have you been?" Jennifer said warmly.

"Fair enough! Anna's organizing the orphan benefit this year and wanted to know if you were all going," Sirius said.

"Going, I should say so. Another dinner, I suppose?" Jennifer said, Severus sighing in resignation.

"No, they're upscaling it this year and having a dance," Sirius chuckled. Jennifer paled slightly.

"A dance?" she repeated unenthusiastically. "Couldn't we just send money?" Severus blinked and glanced over at her questioningly.

"Since when do you turn down a dance?" Sirius asked with the same curious expression. "Besides, everyone will be there, of course…Harry and company as always, and Corey's band is providing the entertainment…"

"The Four Winds? Couldn't you get something a bit more… reliable?" Severus asked.

"Yeah, well, Second Chance is doing something in the States at the moment, and practically everyone else we asked wanted paid," Sirius chuckled. "Besides, considering there's both an adopted child and a parent of one in the group, I find it appropriate, don't you? It's next Friday, by the way."

"I don't have to return until the following Sunday, so it's all right by me provided that Jennifer wants to go. I'm certain Lucky wouldn't mind since Dale won't be there," Severus said. Sirius smirked at that, glancing over at Jennifer, who in turn had noticed Lucky on the couch watching them.

"Fine. Benefit dance on Friday," Jennifer said expressionlessly, nodding.

"Let Anna know I'll be over in a few minutes," Severus said.

"I have a couple more stops to make, so take your time," Sirius said.

"Can I go along for the ride?" Lucky asked.

"Not even remotely likely," Severus told her curtly. Sirius chuckled and smiled apologetically at the girl before he left. "But I'm not going to have you sitting in front of that thing all day either, so make plans to go to the park or come with me to Anna's in a bit."

"It woulda been more fun goin' to Anna's on the bike," Lucky grumbled, but put the game console away, while Severus followed Jennifer into the bedroom to see her standing at the mirror, studying it.

"It isn't supposed to work like that, you know," Severus said thoughtfully.

"What, Severus?" Jennifer asked distractedly.

"Meaning, when someone asks us to participate in a special event, I am supposed emphatically claim that I'm not interested, and then you are supposed to come in and emphatically tell them we're going," Severus said. "So, when you decide you're not interested, you rather make me look as if I actually wouldn't mind going, and hurting my image in the process," he complained.

"I'm sorry, Severus," Jennifer chuckled softly. "I'm just not sure I have anything to wear." Severus stared blankly at his wardrobe, stuffed with her clothes because her own closets had been filled up ages ago.

"Nothing you have will work?" Severus asked cautiously.

"Oh…most of that stuff is from before I changed my styles last year," Jennifer said, pushing up her rose-colored spectacles as if to make a point.

"Well, perhaps now would be a good time to clean out your closets then," Severus suggested. "To make room for new things," he added more reluctantly. "It isn't as if anyone's been tying your purse strings." Jennifer rewarded him with a smile through the mirror.

"Perhaps you're right. I think I'll go see if Fleur wants to go shopping," Jennifer decided, grabbing one of the dresses from Severus' closet and heading into the bathroom.

"Wait, what about the 'cleaning out' part of this?" Severus asked, despite the fact he wasn't likely going to get an answer in return. He sighed in resignation and then glanced briefly at his appearance before walking out to see if Lucky was ready to go to Anna's.

* * *

To say that Anna's magic had been anything but conventional would have been putting it mildly; but then, there really wasn't much about her life that was. Ever since she had begun coming into her powers late in life, it had been forever a mix of cultures, meshing and clashing but most of the time meeting somewhere in the middle. Teaching Muggle Studies at Hogwarts was, in and of itself, a compromise of sorts; a way to acknowledge both sides without having to take sides. Over time that had often proved to be easier said than done, especially since there was little doubt that her husband, son, and adopted daughter's lives were set in the magic world practically exclusively.

It was Zoë, the daughter whom Anna had a long term tumultuous relationship with, who was turning out to be the single member of the family who seemed to relate to being in two worlds and liking both equally as well, despite the fact she was currently staying at home and working in her father's business of magical property investments by helping with the interiors. Of course, that had come at a forced wakeup call after her sometimes lavish and sometimes reckless lifestyle had caught up with her, and after a year at home she still seemed a bit lost as to where she wanted to go from there. But Anna had found lately she was grateful for her daughter's presence, because when the magic world seemed to get 'heavy,' Zoë was nearly always there to suggest a run to London for the day or an overnight trip to San Francisco or Miami or sometimes one obscure town or another that Zoë discovered during one of her many marriages.

It had come in quite handy last year, when her brother's midlife had forced her in an awkward position having to still work with Jennifer on a daily basis, for she had not wanted to take sides on the issue. Christmas had been nothing but a series of awkward moments, despite the fact that Sirius had gone out of his way to remain cordial and it had been obvious that Severus had been grateful just to have somewhere to go. Severus, it seemed, got along best with Zacchius; quite ironic in Anna's opinion considering just how much like his father Zack was. But somehow Zack had been able to lighten the mood enough to make it tolerable; and they had managed to all come off the holiday break fairly unscathed.

Just like the rest of the family and perhaps even the rest of the school, Anna was quite relieved when Severus had finally pulled himself out of the hole he had dug himself in and got himself standing on his feet once more. He also seemed more relaxed in a way; more tolerant… perhaps not even as judgmental, although Anna was quite sure that setback was temporary. She knew it was only a matter of time before his Snape soul would rear its fanged head again, but for now, at least, he seemed very subdued after the mishaps from the year before.

"Come on in," Anna said with a smile when they appeared out of the front room chimney. "Lindsay's up in her room, Lucky, if you want to see her."

"Ya," Lucky agreed, then hurried upstairs. Suddenly they heard a scream and Anna chuckled.

"Fortuna?" Severus called upstairs with a frown.

"_Lo siento_, Professor, but Lindsay's room has been infested with something very vile," Lucky complained.

"Oh, come on, Lucky!" Lindsay said with exasperation, pulling her back in. Severus glanced at Anna questioningly.

"Lindsay has her room covered wall to wall with Second Chance posters," Anna explained with a grin. "She's even got pinups out of magazines covering her vanity mirror, mostly of Dale." Severus shook his head in response. "It's amazing all of this hasn't gone to his head yet."

"He's always been very mature about the whole thing, and I believe his mother has a lot to do with him keeping his feet on the ground," Severus shrugged.

"Is that all it is?" Anna said knowingly. "I was thinking maybe it had more to do with the fact that Lucky really seemed to be turned off by all the fame so he intentionally downplays it when he's around her."

"Yes, well, as you just heard, she's hardly interested," Severus said.

"If she wasn't interested, she wouldn't scream with horror with that much enthusiasm at his posters," Anna said with amusement, getting a dirty look in return. "But anyhow, did Sirius mention why it was that I wanted to see you?"

"Only that it was real estate related and school related, although I don't see how it can be both," Severus admitted.

"Well, you know that old farm across the tracks from the train station, right? The one right next to the forest where the stone cabin used to be?" Anna asked.

"Yes, the Popcorn Farm," Severus said, Anna smirking at the reference. "Hasn't been occupied for years now, from what I understand. The owner rents out the fields for use by some of the other farms because he didn't like the house; swore it was haunted."

"Imagine that," Anna said dryly. "It's not…I had Zack check for that; it was probably stuff out of the Dark Forest that had them spooked. Anyhow, we bought it and all the acres around it as well."

"Going to turn it into a magic property then?" Severus asked with more interest now.

"Well, that depends on whether or not you like my idea or not," Anna said. Severus gazed at her curiously. "See, we're thinking of restoring the farmhouse to non-magic standards and donating it and the half of the acreage… the fields closest to the tracks… over to the school. We'll keep renting out some of the other fields away from the forest that we keep."

"You want to donate the farm to the school?" Severus said, bewildered.

"Well, it's the closest property to you that actually has working electricity. I was thinking that we could use it as a Muggle Studies lab, so that the students that have had no exposure can learn how to function in a normal non-magic setting," Anna explained, Severus growing thoughtful. "Of course, there will be some added property taxes and electric and water bills involved, but it'll cut back on the number of field trips we would need to have, so that should balance out some of the expenses, and I won't have to wait for a vast number of permission slips and cart them all to my house every time I want to show them how to make toast," she said dryly. "And since it's a donation, it's not like the board can say no, is it?"

"It will expand property lines, so I imagine they'll have something to say about it, as will zoning authorities," Severus mused.

"Yes, but if we keep it non-magic, it wouldn't be like it'd be changing much of anything except for the fact that it'll be even less likely that that Muggle farming community will see much since we'll own the closest one," Anna said. "So? Any opinions?"

"I like the concept, but I'd rather get more details before I decide. Perhaps we can go take a look?" Severus suggested. Anna nodded with a grin, and the two of them went off to wander the property.

"So, how are the two of you doing…really?" she added when they approached the farmhouse.

"Quite well, although there was something troubling her this morning I have yet to figure out," Severus mused, grimacing the last owner's choices in paint and wallpaper.

"Any more of that tick…tick…ticking problem?" Anna asked with a grin.

"Constantly," Severus said flatly. "But she went off with Fleur for the day, so perhaps that might settle her a bit."

"Fleur?" Anna said with surprise.

"Didn't you notice she started sneaking away more often on weekends the last couple of months of school? Well, that's where she's been going, believe it or not. The two of them have gotten rather close; apparently it happened when Jennifer decided to stay with them for the holiday," Severus explained.

"She could have come to me," Anna sighed. "But to be honest, except for school business, she completely cut me off."

"She probably didn't think under the circumstances that it'd be appropriate," Severus said quietly. "And it isn't as if the two of you have much in common."

"That's for certain," Anna agreed with a grin.

"Yes, one look at your choices in husbands could have shown that," Severus commented, Anna giving him a dirty look in response, obviously not so impressed with her brother's attempt at humor.


	3. Fringe Benefits

_A/N Have a bonus chapter, because... well, we Whovians have to do something while we wait to find out what the conclusion of Stolen Earth is going to be like, after all...ahem. Anyhow, I also changed my bio pic, not that it comes out too clear on fanfic being so little. I may add it to my art page eventually. In any case, I hope you enjoy this lil' interlude of a chapter; it was very fun to write, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. JCWriter._

Chapter Three

Fringe Benefits

Despite the fact that it had been Jennifer's idea to go out for the afternoon, Fleur couldn't help but notice how quiet and out of sorts she was. In fact, it was fairly obvious even after a quick stop in Malkin's on the way to the bank that Jennifer didn't seem to be interested in shopping at all. Fleur knew quite well that trying to take her to Ashley's in a mood like this would prove to be disastrous.

"I have the perfect idea, Jennifer!" Fleur said as they walked back out of Gringotts. "Let us go to Paris to browse for a bit, perhaps we'll find something in the latest fashions there that you like! We can take the ports in Myrkinbrek, yes?"

"I suppose," Jennifer said thoughtfully, shrugging and nodding. "I admit I wouldn't mind looking."

"Wonderful!" Fleur said with an encouraging smile, glad she did seem to be interested in that at least. "You know, this isn't like you! I haven't seen you this glum since you stayed with us, Jennifer, and then at least I could guess the reason!"

"Actually, it's the same reason in a round about sort of way," Jennifer admitted. Fleur gazed at her questioningly but the two of them had entered the carts, and Jennifer didn't bring it up again when they came out the Myrkinbrek side and over to the port stations.

It was a warm day in Paris, but in _l'Étoile de Nuit,_ the air was cool and lightly fragranced with a floral scent. It had been years since Jennifer had been in there; in fact, not since right before she had left Paris to teach at Hogwarts all those years ago, and Jennifer couldn't help but smile softly at the memory. The boutique itself hadn't changed much at all; although the styles definitely had… Jennifer frowned thoughtfully at some of the floor models when they had come in, realizing they were definitely for a much younger clientele.

"Aren't they lovely? I'm certain we'll find something here you'll like," Fleur assured her.

"So far, I'm not so impressed," Jennifer admitted. "There isn't much to a lot of these dresses, is there? I never understood why dresses with less material always seem to cost so much more."

"Because those are the ones the men are most likely to buy regardless of the price," Fleur murmured to Jennifer with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Ah, Bonjour, Madame Mercier!" she greeted an elegantly dressed witch. Her hair was as white as her long string of pearls, and her skin seemed quite pale next to the elegant sleeveless black dress she was wearing as she surveyed them with a cordial smile.

"Madame Craw, so good to see you once again! And who is your friend with the striking hair?" Mercier inquired.

"This is my husband's dearest daughter, Jennifer," Fleur said, Jennifer smiling wanly at that.

"Ah, so it is, of course, welcome, Madame Snape," Mercier said, nodding to her with a smile as well.

"We are looking for dresses for a benefit next week," Fleur explained.

"Ah, yes, delighted! Won't you come on back?" Mercier said, leading them back to a plush white fitting room with large mirrors and comfortable seats and couches and end tables filled with tea and refreshments.

Jennifer immediately made herself comfortable as Fleur opted to go first, already having an idea in mind of what she was looking for. A pair of Mercier's girls came in with various selections for her to try on, carefully gauging her comments until finally finding one that Fleur liked. It hadn't taken Fleur long at all to find something; she had been in there plenty of times before to give them an idea of what she liked, and Fleur also had made a decision quicker than she normally did, knowing full well that Jennifer was likely to be a bit of a trial. But Mercier was used to picky clients, and Jennifer's expressions on those she obviously didn't like at all had helped narrow it down fairly quick. But when it came to dresses that normally Jennifer would have been happy with, she hesitated, and Fleur noticed her staring rather hard at her own expressions in the mirror rather than on the dresses themselves.

"Perhaps a short break so you can think on those last three, Jennifer?" Fleur asked after Mercier had been waiting for comments on them for some time.

"Probably a good idea," Jennifer agreed.

"I'll send you some fresh tea and sandwiches and will be back in fifteen minutes," Mercier said with a nod and a smile. "Send one of the girls if you're ready sooner."

"_Merci, Madame,_" Fleur said, watching as she walked out of the room before turning back thoughtfully. "I rather like the blue one, myself, don't you?"

"It's all right, I suppose," Jennifer said with a sigh. "Perhaps I'll just get all three and save everyone the hassle of deciding."

"Madame Mercier is not about to let you walk out of here with one of her dresses if you do not care for it," Fleur said, chuckling and shaking her head.

"It isn't that I don't like them, Fleur, I do," Jennifer said with a sigh, hanging the dresses up before sitting down to grab a sandwich. "To be perfectly honest, I'd just not rather go to the silly dance at all if I could help it."

"But I thought you've always been supportive of the Mungo's family placement program, Jennifer," Fleur said thoughtfully.

"Oh, I am, most definitely, it's…well, it's a personal thing…come to think of it. That's really not a good enough reason not to go considering it's for a good cause, is it? I just wish they would have had a dinner this year like they always do," Jennifer admitted. "I dread the thought of dancing again."

"But you've always loved dancing!" Fleur said in surprise. "Well, at least since you moved from here, of course. You seemed to be a bit of a wall flower when you first started teaching here."

"I didn't know how to dance back then. Why do you think I always volunteered to stand at the punchbowl?" Jennifer chuckled, but then it faded as she reminisced. "I wore Ultralites the first time I danced with Severus… not that he would let me use them. In fact, the moment he realized I had them, he made me turn them off, despite the fact that I must have tripped on his feet countless times."

"Why did he do it then?" Fleur asked curiously, refilling their cups.

"Oh, I was teaching my Defense class about Cosmic Sleep and how rare the cure was and happened to make an off color comment about you're better off not waiting for your true love and marrying the first person that didn't look at you funny when you stepped on their feet while dancing," Jennifer admitted, and Fleur laughed softly. "Actually, I danced with Sirius first, he had heard about it too thanks to Harry… Harry had been trying to set us up, but I think seeing us dancing together was what made Severus all the more determined to step in when he did. And that's when I knew…that's when I knew without a doubt that he was the only one I'd ever want to be with, and I knew he was beginning to feel the same way about me.

"From then on," Jennifer murmured, staring at her reflection in the tea. "It rather turned into a sort of ritual of us. Dancing turned into a private moment where we just fell in love all over again…until last year…last Halloween," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "He didn't even look at me. When he did, he was looking through me. And even though I couldn't read him at the time, I knew he was thinking about everything but me in that moment, and the very worst part of it was the fact that all the while he hadn't a single clue that anything was wrong at all."

"Oh, Jennifer!" Fleur said, putting her tea down and putting her hand on hers sympathetically.

"The only other dance I've been to since then was the Ministry Ball, when I went with you and Dad, and you know how that went," Jennifer said bitterly.

"Yes, but…all of that is over now! He has barely left your side in months. I think it's obvious at least to me that won't happen again!" Fleur said. "He is back to his old self, and he is so remorseful."

"Well, he has been remorseful, but I'd hardly say he was back to his old self, Fleur," Jennifer sighed. "The whole experience has changed him in ways I'm not quite sure I understand yet. He never talks about it, and even though he doesn't hide his thoughts from me anymore, his mind seems to almost shy away at the mention of any of it…afraid to hurt me, I suppose, and afraid to hurt himself. In fact, I'd say he's been so busy being remorseful, we've yet to work through any of it yet."

"Well," Fleur said, thinking it over. "Well, it has to start somewhere, doesn't it? And the first thing is to get his full attention and make him realize it's time to stop being sorry and start making things right so you can get used to how each other has changed because of it, because you have changed greatly too, Jennifer! All you have to do is look in a mirror to see that!"

"I suppose you mean my appearance, but you're right, I have, really," Jennifer admitted, standing up again and stepping over to the mirrors with a distant look on her face.

"Then, perhaps we should turn this dance into a wakeup call, _oui?_" Fleur said, standing as well and peering out of the curtain to get one of the girl's attentions. "We are ready to begin again, and I think we've decided to go with something less conservative. Ask the Madame to find us some gowns that would have every male in the room looking at her…some of those dresses in the front perhaps."

Jennifer turned and stared at Fleur with surprise.

"There is no way I could get away with any of those dresses, Fleur," Jennifer said.

"Oh, nonsense, Jennifer, you still look twenty-eight without the glasses on, hips or not!" Fleur tsked at her.

"Actually, I'd rather go with my spectacles on," Jennifer admitted.

"You will not get his attention at a dance if you hide your eyes. If you must bring them, transfigure the frames into a lorgnette style or something…now, you must trust me, Jennifer…" Fleur said in protest a mischievous smile creeping across the face. "Luring men's attentions is something I do know something about."

"Why do I have the feeling you're going to go overboard?" Jennifer said accusingly, gazing warily at the dress selections that were brought in as Fleur picked one out and handed it to her. Jennifer gaped at it. "I'm not putting that on, it's backless! I've only had one backless dress and I absolutely hated it…"

"Don't discount it before you've even tried it on! That is not fair to Madame Mercier, and I grant that the other dress you had wasn't one of hers!" Fleur chided her.

"If it was one of mine, she wouldn't have hated it," Mercier said indignantly. "At the very least, she wouldn't have made it out of this shop with it."

"There, you see? Now, put it on," Fleur insisted. Jennifer sighed, holding up the dress to herself and murmured a spell; the one she had been wearing suddenly flying on the hook she was holding as the other dress took its place, quick enough that the change seemed almost instantaneous. "Oh, it's lovely!" Fleur said encouragingly. "It's perfect, Jennifer!"

"Well, I do like the front," Jennifer admitted carefully. "But can't we get more material in the back? I feel a bit naked," she said, turning the mirror around so she could see her back. "And it makes my butt look big."

"Oh, nonsense, Jennifer! She's always been conscientious about that," Fleur confided in Mercier.

"I believe the male audience would disagree with her," Mercier offered. "Her back is slightly muscular, though."

"It is all those forms she does, but I don't think it's all that unbecoming," Fleur argued. "And the single neck strap helps her shoulders to not look so narrow. What is the matter, Jennifer, really it is truly divine, and you do wear it well! And considering it is quite different for you to wear something like that, surely it would get Severus' attention after wearing those high buttoned sort of dresses you normally do."

"Yes, well, I wear those because he has this thing for…" Jennifer stopped short, glancing at the dress in the mirror as if seeing it for the first time, her hand going to the back of the neck strap thoughtfully.

"Yes, Jennifer? What were you going to say?" Fleur asked with interest when she saw the expression on her face.

"Madame Mercier, how would you feel about making a slight alteration to this dress?" Jennifer asked out of the blue.

* * *

When Jennifer returned that evening, she seemed in a much better mood, smiling enigmatically when Severus asked her about her trip, but didn't comment except for announcing that she would go a bit early with Fleur to help Anna with some of the arrangements. Rather than being forced to go in the crowd alone, Severus used Lucky as an excuse to accompany Lindsay and Sirius, who was willing to wait until things were in full swing before they had to walk into the fray.

"Any of the board members going to be here tonight?' Sirius asked.

"More than likely nearly all of them," Severus admitted. "With any luck, the Coventries will leave their children with their nanny, however." Lucky and Lindsay grinned at each other knowingly.

"If I didn't know better, I'd almost take that to mean you don't care for their children," Sirius goaded him, but Severus was only too aware that Lucky and Lindsay were listening.

"Not once have I ever said I didn't like them, Sirius," Severus said firmly. "I simply don't trust them very much."

"You don't even trust their parents very much," Sirius chuckled.

"Yes, and that said, allow me to handle this farm thing in my own way. Perhaps I'll drop a hint to Erik, but I'm not in the mood to find out what sort of objections Balmweed is going to raise," Severus said.

"Are you really that certain he will raise an objection? It's not as if they're paying for the addition," Sirius said.

"Balmweed doesn't like change of any sort, Sirius, and after what he pulled last year, I know better than to let my guard down on the man. Perhaps I'll get lucky and he'll choose to retire or something," Severus said.

"Don't count on that. Besides, if that did happen, I wouldn't put it past him to recommend someone exceedingly vile to take his place," Sirius warned.

"More than likely," Severus admitted.

"Can we go? I see Bobby and Gary over there," Lindsay said.

"Sure, have fun," Sirius said, the two girls taking off. "Well, I wonder where the girls are?"

"I was wondering that myself," Severus admitted, looking around for a moment before walking towards the stage where the band was playing, getting a wave from Corey as he wandered over to where Rose was standing nearby. "Somehow managed to get away for the evening, did you?"

"Ashley stayed to baby sit, actually. She's watching Gloria and some of the other kids as well," Rose explained with a grin. "Think I'll have a house left when I get back?"

"Debatable," Severus decided. "Have you seen Jennifer?"

"Yes, she and Fleur were hanging out in the bathroom earlier," Rose nodded.

"Hanging out in the bathroom?" Severus repeated. "Why do women do that, exactly?" he asked, mystified. Rose shrugged and smiled at him enigmatically.

"Hey, Dad, what are you doing over here?" Corey asked when their song ended, bending over to talk to him. "I'd be paying closer attention to Mom, if I were you. She and Fleur walked in together, and I swear every male in the room not related to us got belted, and it wasn't all Fleur's doing, either."

"Where are they?" Severus asked.

"I saw them standing with Draco, Parvati and Grandfather just a moment ago," Corey said, gesturing to the other side of the room.

Severus began wandering in that direction only to hear his name called and looked up to see Norman Balmweed coming towards him. Groaning softly to himself, Severus stepped over and offered him a cordial nod.

"Ah, Severus, there you are! I rather expected you'd have been guarding Jennifer, all things considering, from Regina if no one else," Norman said in such a tone that it made Severus glance around again. "Will we be getting your tentative booklist for your classes next week?"

"You'll be getting all of them, yes, although you'll find no surprises. I'll be sticking with the book that Tangent has been teaching on Runes for that course. I've decided not to go with a regular book at all in my Ancient course, however," Severus admitted, Norman blinking in response.

"None at all?" he said.

"Nothing that I have found on the subject seems to be adequate for what I have in mind, no," Severus said. "The ones that are general enough are covered in latter history courses, and the specific books are much too esoteric for a regular classroom."

"Ah, well, I can probably recommend a few books that Equinox found enlightening," Norman said, Severus nodding politely despite his opinions on the disbanded order. "Otherwise, can I assume we'll be given some in depth lesson plans with specifics? Since you don't plan on using a book, I mean…"

"No more than other classes of similar nature," Severus said evenly. "It's hardly the first time we've taught classes without a textbook, as you know. All but the first year of Muggle Studies are handled without one, for example, as is Dabbler's, Items, and quite a number of other electives I could name…"

"Well yes, perhaps, but none of them have been exactly like this one, have they?" Norman pressed. "After all, the study of such arts are rather dangerous, and we wouldn't want students being taught things that might get out of hand…"

"Norman, all magic arts are dangerous, regardless of the origin of that magic," Severus said curtly.

"Yes, but there's hardly a standard for this class, is there?" Norman said.

"You could have voted the class down, Norman, had you objections," Severus sighed.

"I don't object. I simply want to see the material in detail first," Norman argued.

"I wouldn't allow you to pick apart any of my staff's classes, Norman, I'm certainly not going to allow you to pick apart one of mine," Severus said firmly. "You could take up the matter to Erik, of course, although I also have the right to withdraw offering the class altogether if it came to that." Norman frowned.

"Perhaps some class observations?" Norman suggested hopefully.

But Severus had suddenly lost interest in the conversation. He was too busy gawking at the auburn haired figure currently chatting with Harry and Ginny. He had noticed the sleeveless, pale bare shoulders first, for that was very unlike Jennifer. But when she turned around for Joanie Weasley, who was insisting on taking a photo, Severus blinked again when he saw the other side of the dress and the lack thereof. A sudden glitter in the light made his eyes flick up and focus in on the single shiny gold button in the back of the neck strap that apparently was holding everything together.

"Severus?" Norman asked curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"Busy…busy, quite busy," Severus said distractedly and moved through the crowd, ignoring all of the many other attempts of greeting him so he could get a better look at the dress only to find his eyes fixed on the button again.

"Hi, Uncle Severus, are you all right?" Zack asked from where he and Juliet were standing by the punch bowl. "Heat in here getting to you?"

"How about a drink, Uncle Severus?" Juliet offered.

"Um…thank you, no," Severus said and began stalking across the room with a gaze so fixed that nobody missed it, even Corey and his friends on stage, who with a quick exchanged of glances decided to switch to a slower number.

Jennifer had paused her conversation with Joanie about Jacob when she heard the change in tempo, glancing up just in time to see her husband descending on her.

"There you are, Severus! I've been wondering where you were," Jennifer said. "Do you like my dress?"

"How dare you ask such a question!" in such a tone that Joanie blinked in confusion as Severus pulled his wife on the dance floor.

"Then you don't like it?" Jennifer asked innocently.

"Surely you didn't believe for a moment that I wouldn't realize I was being intentionally baited! Taunting me mercilessly and in public no less, and in a manner where I can't do a thing about it…"

"Well, you could, but it might cost us our jobs in the process," Jennifer murmured with a soft laugh. "What's wrong, Severus, surely someone with your level of self control can withstand knowing that you have to spend an entire evening in front of friends, family, and board members without being able to touch one silly, insignificant little button. Can't you?"

"Just wait, Jennifer. Just wait, I am going to get even with you for this," Severus began, getting another soft laugh in reply. "You'll be begging for mercy before I'm done with you, and don't think I'm going to let you out of my sight again for an instant until I have satisfaction. Laugh all you like, but I will get even for what you're putting through," he swore in her ear. "If I thought for an instant I could get away with it without someone noticing, I'd be marching you out of here right now to answer for it. I dare you look me in the eyes right now and fully witness what you've just gotten yourself into."

"I just wanted to make sure I had your attention, Severus," Jennifer admitted softly in his own ear. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't lose it tonight."

"The only one in danger of losing anything right now is me. If you knew how close I am to saying to hell with it and giving into temptation, you would be a more than a little worried at the moment," Severus whispered fervently back.

"I'm sure you've faced stronger temptations in the past, Severus," Jennifer murmured. He suddenly stopped mid-step and forced her to look him dead on, watching her expression change as her green eyes met the deep fire in his coal black ones.

"Think so, do you? Then allow me to disagree," Severus said firmly and dragged her off the dance floor and over to Sirius and Anna who, along with the rest of the room, had been watching the curious exchange of whispers on the dance floor and were more than a little surprised to see Severus suddenly pull Jennifer over to them. "Any way possible the two of you might be willing to look after Lucky for a couple of days?"

"Sure, why not?" Sirius shrugged. "Why, where are you going?"

"To teach Jennifer a lesson!" Severus snapped, turning around when Jennifer began to resist his pulling on her arm, trying to get a read on him in the split second before he put her over his shoulder and carried her out of the hall. Standing halfway across the room, Thomas watched the exchange with a bewildered frown, unaware that just beside him his wife had a soft triumphant smile on her face.


	4. Ambrose's Summer Holiday

Chapter Four

Ambrose's Summer Holiday

It was, in many respects, one of the best summers that Ambrose would ever have in his life, and one he would always remember with great fondness in darker times, for it was the summer of Toby the Tinker. No more had he awoken and had his breakfast the first morning after returning from Hogwarts that Ambrose had gotten news from his mother that Toby was still there. Ambrose burst out the back door of the shop and ran to Toby's Trinkets, not even bothering to read the sign. The bell didn't ring, and he looked up to see that the clapper had been removed and the hook the bell had been hanging on was all tied in unpleasant knots. Just then he heard a shrill whistle, and looked up to see a bird sitting on what looked to be bleached branch of some kind. It had a bright blue back and a bright orange belly and a rather large beak for a bird its size, and it was eyeing the boy with sparkling black eyes.

"Oh…goodness, Halcyon, it's only Mr. Bailey," Toby said as he stepped out of the back with a smile. The wooden owl Archimedes flew in behind Ambrose, and the two of them eyed each other skeptically.

"You got a new familiar!" Ambrose said impressed, walking over to the counter to see him better.

"So I did! I met him during a walk when I went to the lake to think," Toby said. "He caught my eye and we had a little chat, and he decided to follow me home. Halcyon, this is the boy Ambrose, I told you about him. Ambrose…this is Halcyon, he's a kingfisher."

"Really?" Ambrose laughed. "Wow, that's very funny! Did you know I went by the name Kingfisher that first year I went to Hogwarts when nobody knew who I was?"

"Really?" Toby said with an enigmatic smile. "Why ever did you choose that?"

"I don't know, it was first thing that came to mind at the time," Ambrose said. "Andrew once told me there was a king once called a Fisher King… and when anything bad happened to him, the kingdom felt it too."

"That could be said for all kingdoms, Mr. Bailey," Toby said with a smile, adjusting his glasses. "Which of course is another good reason to stick with democracy…not that it doesn't have its faults as well."

"Like what?" Ambrose asked.

"Panic," Toby shrugged. "The Monkey See, Monkey Do Syndrome. Oh and of course, media trends… nothing moves politics like the media, after all, and not always in the right direction. But never mind that. I suppose you're curious as to why I wanted to see you?"

"Mum said you were planning to stay open all summer!" Ambrose said excitedly.

"So I am," Toby agreed. "And as such, I could probably use a boy around the shop during the morning hours, if you're interested."

"Really? I'd love that!" Ambrose said.

"You'll still be heading to your sister's at lunchtime. Your mother doesn't want you cooped up in buildings all summer working when you're still a young, growing boy and I can't say that I blame her for that," Toby said. "But if you're interested in coming in long enough to help set up shop in the mornings, I'd be most appreciative."

"What about Uncle Severus?" Ambrose asked curiously.

"Oh, he already knows the whys and whereabouts and whatfors, don't you worry about that," Toby assured him. "But I do hope you agree only because you want to. Pay no obligations any mind because you've helped out in the past, Ambrose."

"Not at all, I want to help!" Ambrose assured him, glancing around and pulling a broom off a shelf.

"Well then, I suppose you'd best snap to it!" Toby suggested, and Ambrose ran out to sweep the sidewalk enthusiastically. Chuckling softly to himself, Toby got out a large stack of colorful square paper. Writing a quick note to himself, he stuck it on the wall next to several dozen similar notes. He then looked them over and thought of another one to put up and was still working on it when Ambrose came in to sweep the floors and dust the shelves, pausing to stare at one of the items and picked it up quizzically.

"What's a banana doing here?" Ambrose wondered.

"Um…good source of potassium," Toby said unconcernedly going back to work. Ambrose shrugged and put it back just as he saw his mother approaching the shop with a basket in hand and he ran over to get the door for her. "Good morning, Mrs. Bailey! Off to visit your friend again, are you?"

"Good morning, Mr. Toby, so I am," she said with a warm smile. "I simply came by to make certain that Ambrose was here."

"Friend?" Ambrose asked curiously.

"Bart Dimple," Ashley explained with a sigh, Ambrose suddenly looking somber. "Ever since his mother died last month, he really has been beside himself. I'm afraid in many ways he became like I had when my grandfather died… he was so used to taking care of Eliza that now he has no idea what to do with himself. I remember how that felt, so I've been trying to help him through it. The rest of Haven's Row has been helping as well, of course, giving him plenty of work projects to do; you know how handy he is. Smarting up the neighborhood quite well, actually…he's painting the church now…ah, I think I'll get this, he's rather fond of bananas," she said, Toby beaming at her when she picked it up and put a few knuts in. Ambrose blinked, but then shrugged and went back to his sweeping.

"My dear, you have a very kind heart," Toby smiled. "But if you don't mind my saying so, you might try saving a bit of it for yourself," he winked. "It won't hurt anyone to give something to yourself now and again. I swear that every time you come in here it's on someone else's behalf. You deserve to be selfish sometimes too, you know."

"Really? But from what I've seen you're just as guilty as I am in many respects. When was the last time you allowed yourself to be selfish, Mr. Toby?" Ashley challenged him. Toby's eyes darted to Ambrose quickly and back again, the boy looking up curiously an instant later.

"I believe you already know the answer to that question, Mrs. Bailey," Toby said with amusement.

"Even that, in my opinion, is quite debatable, Mr. Toby," Mrs. Bailey said with a smile before heading towards the door. "Be a good boy for Mr. Toby, Ambrose, and don't fight with your cousins this afternoon, either."

"Mum! I haven't turned any one of them into anything in simply ages!" Ambrose protested, Toby simply chuckling and shaking his head in response.

* * *

Ambrose almost hated going to his cousins during the afternoons, for the mornings were often slow in the shop and by noon things had started to pick up. It was always fascinating to see not only who came in but what they came out with; many times being a very common item. That was especially true for those who lived in town on a daily basis, often passing over amazing and unique items to grab a hammer, or a bottle of ink, or in one case a box of birthday candles. Then there were those that Ambrose noticed couldn't come in at all…and sometimes standing out there staring hard at where the shop should have been as if trying to convince themselves it was there, much like, Ambrose knew, he had once done. He couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for them, despite the fact that Toby often either ignored them or threw such a grim look out the window that Ambrose didn't question it.

Near the end of Ambrose's first week as he was cleaning the inside windows and the jewelry box case nearby, Ambrose paused to look out the window, knowing that it was about the time his mother would pass by to go the Dimple's house. There, standing in front of the shop, was a man in an expensive suit, black gloves, and a cane, staring very, very hard at the brick wall. His hair was thin blonde, and he was a bit overweight; his face was pale, as if he spent too many hours inside, and his lips pressed thin as if thinking of something, or attempting to remember something.

It was just about that time that Ashley walked by, hesitating momentarily when she saw him but nodding cordially to him as she quickly passed. She paused when he asked her a question and she shrugged noncommittally and said something back before continuing, waving goodbye to him…or was she actually waving to them, Ambrose wondered. He glanced up to see Toby was standing right behind him, watching the exchange quite steadily, not moving until Ashley finally disappeared out of view. Toby then wandered back over to the counter, pulling off another square of paper to write on it.

"Who is that man out there?" Ambrose asked.

"Someone who will never come in here again, Mr. Bailey. I'm afraid he lost any chance at redemption a very long time ago," Toby said, looking thoughtfully at his note before slapping it onto the wall. "Pay him no mind, Ambrose, he's really not worth the time. Have you finished the case yet?"

"Almost," Ambrose said and turned his attention back to it. But he was only halfway done when he felt the door open behind him and heard Halcyon's shrill whistle, looking up with a surprise to see Pimra, holding the door open for her grandfather. Ambrose could have sworn he had heard Toby groan softly, but when he looked up, Toby was sitting at the counter with a warm, pleasant smile on his face.

"At last! I thought I was never going to catch this shop open!" Norman exclaimed, looking around with interest.

"Hullo, Ambrose!" Pimra said with a smile. "Good summer so far?"

"Great!" Ambrose said enthusiastically, while Norman paused and noticed him for the first time.

"Good morning, Mr. Bailey! A bit young to be working, aren't we?" Norman said thoughtfully, noticing the dust cloth in his hand.

"I like it," Ambrose said.

"Ah, Miss Glass! How is your mother?" Toby interrupted with a smile.

"Well, thank you," Pimra said with a shy smile. "That's a pretty bird. I don't think you had that last time."

"He's a new friend, isn't that right, Halcyon?" Toby said, the kingfisher whistling again readily.

"Halcyon, very appropriate…a student of mythology, sir?" Norman asked with a cordial smile.

"Oh, I tend to dabble in a bit of everything," Toby said mischievously. "Please, have a look around. I'm sure since Miss Glass has been in here once before you've probably heard the shop rules…one item, your price."

"Yes, I have heard quite a bit about this shop over the years, actually, I've just had no luck finding it before," he explained, glancing at a sextant thoughtfully before putting it back down. "How does it work?" Ambrose looked up curiously, while the tinker simply blinked and adjusted his glasses.

"I beg your pardon?" Toby asked.

"I've heard people say they've come in here and found exactly what they were looking for, even when they didn't know they were looking for it until they found it. How exactly do you manage it?" Norman wondered. Pimra, who had already picked the Thesaurus she was looking for off the shelf without giving it a second thought, gazed at it curiously.

"Well, you know, it's natural for people to think that," Toby said thoughtfully, taking a wooden cat he was carving out from underneath the counter and shaving it carefully with his knife. "After all, when you're looking for something…whatever it is you're searching for is always in the last place you look, because after you find it, you stop looking."

"Yes, but that's not what I meant," Norman said, glancing at a compass before setting it down. "Where does all this stuff come from?"

"Oh! Well, I make the toys," Toby said, beaming with pride. "House Elves make the jewelry boxes, and as for the rest, it comes from all sorts of places, so I'm afraid you'll just have to look at the maker's mark."

Norman frowned, staring at a strange metal box with a dark glass frame with no picture in it and wires coming out of the back.

"What in the deuce is this?"

"A GPS system, I believe," Toby said.

"A what?"

"It's a sort of Muggle device," Toby offered.

"What the devil is it doing here?" Norman asked.

"Collecting dust at the moment," Toby said evenly, but then smiled warmly when Pimra finally had the nerve to come up to the counter and pay for her book. "Thank you, Miss Glass."

"Thank you," Pimra said with a smile.

"Might I ask who is your distributor?" Norman asked, moving a map out of the way so he could lean on the edge of a counter.

"I am, naturally," Toby said with surprise.

"So you gather all of this yourself?" Norman pressed.

"I never said that, Mr. Balmweed," Toby said.

"But then how does it get here?" Norman asked.

"Magic," Toby shrugged.

"Well, yes, but how exactly?" Norman sighed at him.

"Magic," Toby smiled again, watching as the man picked a large bag of breadcrumbs and stared at it, mystified. "Is there anything I can get you today?"

"Um, no…not right now at least, thank you," Norman decided, putting the bag back down on top of an atlas. "Have a good day sir."

"Oh, yes, the same to you, Mr. Balmweed," Toby said enigmatically. Ambrose, who had paused his dusting again to watch the exchange, waved at Pimra and leaned over to watch the two of them leave, sitting up when the door finally closed.

"Man, is that wizard lost, or what?" Ambrose said with exasperation, getting a soft smirk from the old tinker before they turned back to their work.

* * *

That next weekend, Ambrose had spent the night at Corey's because his mother was helping baby-sit for Corey and Rose. But sleepy as he was from staying up much too late talking to his nieces and nephews, he was happy to get back to work the next day because even in the mornings, Saturdays tended to be busy. Ambrose had just sat down on his stool by the counter to take a break and to watch the tinker work on the wooden cat when Sirius, Anna, Lindsay and Lucky walked in.

"Hey! Nice to see you guys!" Ambrose said cheerfully, waving.

"Don't tell me you're working again!" Lucky said dubiously. "Don't you ever have fun on vacation?"

"This is fun!" Ambrose protested. "What are you doing here?"

"We're helping Dad work on a property we bought," Lindsay explained.

"Not voluntarily," Lucky protested. "I would have been happy just staying home and playing video games."

"Well, once I get the electricity up to code…" Sirius paused to grab a multimeter off the shelf, "I promise I'll let you girls set up the electronics."

"We're setting up the farm across from Hogwarts with all the basic conventions of any Muggle home, perhaps to use as a Muggle Studies lab if the board approves," Anna explained.

"A worthy idea if ever I heard one," Toby said with an approving nod and a smile. "Definitely a step in the right direction, at least."

"I don't suppose we could help paint?" Lindsay said hopefully when she found a paint bucket with a bag of brushes attached.

"I suppose you could go ahead and paint the wooden fence outside since we won't have to worry about you spilling it on the floorboards. We'll run home and get some of Sirius' old shirts to wear before we go over there," Anna decided.

"Oh great, now we're stuck doing the Tom Sawyer routine," Lucky sighed. Toby chuckled.

"Now, Fortuna, it's for a good cause, after all. And where are your parents today?" he asked.

"Who knows?" she shrugged. Sirius leaned over the counter as he put the meter in front of him.

"Severus carried Jennifer off kicking and screaming from the benefit dance last night," Sirius chuckled, ignoring the annoyed look Anna gave him.

"Really? Well that sounds promising, doesn't it?" Toby said mischievously, getting out a bag to put the multimeter in. "Three and a half months of Severus on his tiptoes was really, and I do mean _really_ getting old."

"Yes, I do agree with that point, but did it have to happen in the middle of the dance?" Anna sighed.

"What did Balmweed say?" Ambrose asked out of the blue, causing the adults to remember he was sitting there. Toby produced a dust cloth, and Ambrose took it glumly and walked away.

"What did Balmweed say?" Toby asked in a lower voice as Ambrose looked around for a shelf that needed dusting, the girls quickly walking over to whisper to him.

"He spouted off how inappropriate it was," Sirius chuckled. "While Mrs. Coventry was busy telling everyone how inappropriate Jennifer's dress was and that she didn't blame Severus for dragging her out of there."

"There was nothing wrong with Jennifer's dress," Anna said firmly.

"Got any pictures?" Toby said eagerly, and Sirius quickly produced them. Anna rolled her eyes as Sirius mischievously picked out photos that he knew Toby would make appreciative comments on, when she happened to catch sight of Toby's wall.

"What are all of those for?" Anna wondered, for the wall had practically become shingled in Post-it notes.

"To keep me from forgetting anything, what else?" Toby said distractedly, without looking up from the photos. "Can I see that one back shot again? Oh, and that one where he carries her off, too. Nice toosh shot, there."

"Yeah, that's the one Joanie used for the gossip column I think," Sirius grinned. "Oh, here's another one you'll probably like too."

"Can I get copies?" Toby asked eagerly. Anna sighed and walked over to the kids, muttering about men and pretending not to know either one of them.

"Isn't he great?" Ambrose was saying to the girls, pulling out a painter's cap off a shelf for Lucky. "I want to be just like him when I grow up." Lucky, Lindsay, and Anna all stared at him dubiously.


	5. Coming to Terms

Chapter Five

Coming to Terms

Jennifer let out a long sigh of contentment, soon feeling a hand against her back.

"You awake?" Severus murmured softly.

"Possibly," Jennifer said mischievously, slipping her arms beneath her chin. "Actually, I've been awake for a while now."

"Thinking?"

"No, not really, just listening to you breathe and feeling very lucky to be able to hear it at all," Jennifer admitted. Severus sighed softly. "Yes, I know, you don't like that word, but I do feel that way, all the same. What were you thinking about?"

"What makes you think I've been awake long enough to have time?" Severus murmured.

"Because you're lying on your back and you're not snoring," Jennifer chuckled softly.

"Fair enough," Severus admitted quietly, staring up at the wooden beams across the ceiling. "If you really want to know, I was thinking of the last time I was here in Villahexa, and how close I came to damning myself. So I suppose in a way, I was thinking of how 'lucky' I am to be here as well."

"Well, she was rather fetching in her human form, I suppose…" Jennifer ventured.

"Hardly compared to you," Severus protested, but saw the eye roll and shifted his position so she would sit up and look at him. "Come now, Jennifer. I can't possibly deny I was attracted to her, but she was anything but my type."

"She only did that so she wouldn't remind you of me in any way," Jennifer said knowingly. "That doesn't mean she wasn't beautiful, Severus."

"You and that vanity of yours. How dare you say such things at all, sitting over me the way you are," Severus complained. "I'll admit she had a figure, but obviously so do you. To be perfectly honest, if I was intrigued about anything, it was with trying to understand exactly why I was attracted to her in the first place, especially considering how aggressive she was and how poorly she had treated me from the start."

"I suppose that is understandable considering the chemistry theft thing, although I'm not sure that's completely it, if I'm reading you right. I think you rather liked the idea of an aggressive woman…at least for a change of pace…" Jennifer mused thoughtfully.

"Don't you dare start baiting me, Jennifer, this conversation is uncomfortable enough as it is," Severus said.

"All right," Jennifer said with a serious expression, kissing him gently. "If you won't let me guess, perhaps you could simply tell me what it was about her that tempted you the most, because I really think I deserve to know that much."

"No…" Severus murmured. "You deserve to know everything, not that it'll offer much comfort for either of us. I think…I think a lot of it had to do with the promises in her words and in her eyes… promising me a release from all the pain I was going through, promises that through passion to her I'd be freed completely from ties to you, the school, and everything else that I had felt was holding me back at that point."

"Well, I suppose it would have ultimately freed you from that, wouldn't it have?" Jennifer asked softly.

"Yes, which is probably why I could never quite go through with it, even at a time I felt I had little to lose…although I did have help in some respects," Severus admitted.

"When you got here to Villahexa, you mean?" Jennifer asked quietly.

"Oh, no, by the time I followed her here, I was on my way back into my senses and well aware of just how much I had to lose," Severus assured her. "In fact, the only reason I came at all was because she told me she knew where the Venusberg caverns were…and of course she had known, considering she came from there. I didn't realize until after the paintings intervened that she had been manipulating exactly how much information I was getting to make certain I didn't learn too much before she had me primed. More than likely, had I gone with her in the caverns, I probably wouldn't have made it out…but I was already wary then, and quite worried about you and that ring you dared to put on," he said with exasperation, pushing her hair back.

"So when did you feel the most tempted?" Jennifer prompted when he fell into a silence.

"Right now comes to mind…"

"No, no, not me," Jennifer chuckled him, holding his hand back and lying down on his chest again. "I meant what you were saying a moment ago, about how she tempted you the most."

"Oh, that. Well…come to think of it, it wasn't so much her at all so much as an idea she put into my head," Severus mused, Jennifer shaking her head not understanding but still studying him intently. "The idea that there are still many more avenues to travel in my life, many more opportunities for experimentation, and lots of new discoveries to be made. It was that idea that tempted me, Jennifer, and to be perfectly honest, she sold me on that point and would have had me right where she wanted… had Rasputin not had the sense to warn me it was not the time, place, or even the right lady to explore that with."

"Rasputin's a true hero," Jennifer smiled.

"Yes, as was that silly painting you had the audacity to equip with a working violin," Severus murmured, wrapping his arms around her. "But you know, Jennifer, her putting that idea in my head was a very stupid mistake."

"Oh, why is that?" Jennifer asked, still snuggling into him contentedly.

"Because after that, I found myself thinking a lot more of you," Severus murmured. "And not just because of the Unicorn painting or anything else the portrait and his friends did to stop her later, either. Then when I saw you at Hogsmeade, a large part of me already knew it was a hopeless battle, even if I thought you were lost to me."

"I was never lost to you, Severus," Jennifer whispered. "Even if Dad had found a way to make me sign that silly paper… I'd never have been lost to you had you wanted me back, even a little."

"I hardly deserved such loyalty," Severus said, but Jennifer smiled.

"Severus, you stood by me when I had no memories at all," Jennifer reminded him.

"That was not your fault," Severus murmured.

"And what about when I got stuck with that horrible curse of Malfoy's. I didn't tell you that when I should have…we fought so much that year…" Jennifer said.

"Yes, you should have told me, but that's hardly the same thing either."

"No, Severus, but that's not the point. The point is you've been pulling me out of my messes since we first met. It was high time I returned the favor regardless, even if all I really did was a bit of forgery and kept the candles burning in case you decided to come home."

"And had I decided not to return, you wouldn't have held it against me either," Severus sighed.

"No, of course not, not if that's what you truly wanted. Although, for the record, if Samira had succeeded in duping you into going back with her, I imagine your children would have launched a rescue attempt I couldn't have stopped," Jennifer chuckled softly, Severus holding her tighter. "They've turned out so wonderfully, Severus," Jennifer smiled, adding mischievously. "Sure we couldn't do one more?"

"I was wondering when we were going to get back to that," Severus said disapprovingly. "You have seven and soon to be eight grandchildren to spoil, isn't that enough?"

"It's lovely, thanks, but that's not the same thing. Since they're not our own, we're having to sit there and watch mistakes being made and not being able to do much about it, like that bit with little Janus," Jennifer said. Severus sighed.

"To be fair, it isn't our place to decide what's best, although I did make progress with him," Severus mused.

"Yes, that's exactly my point. Not to mention we have advantages now that we didn't raising the first four, not to mention a lot less enemies…"

"We do _not_ have a lot less enemies."

"I meant the sort that would affect our children directly…not like with Lucius. And not to mention the ton of older siblings helping to look after them, Severus…"

"I'm simply not sure I could keep up with a toddler at my age, Jennifer," Severus said bluntly.

"Oh, nonsense, you have the health of a forty year old, you can handle it," Jennifer said, kissing him coaxingly. "And I bet you wouldn't 'feel your age' as you call it with a baby in your arms."

"Now, is this about me, or about you?" Severus said knowingly. Jennifer pouted. "And you realize this Muggle method of insemination in a tea cup would hardly be a one time in and out of a doctor's office sort of thing, don't you? They'd be poking and prodding at you for months. Really, is it worth it?" Jennifer frowned somberly, then paused.

"Well, if we had another boy more inclined to a family lifestyle and having children, wouldn't it be worth it to you?" Jennifer asked. Severus hesitated, and then scowled at her.

"Bait!"

"Yes, still wriggling this time too," Jennifer teased.

"Didn't you learn anything from the last time you tried to bait me? It's how you got into this particular situation in the first place, if you'll recall," Severus said dangerously, sliding his hands down her back.

"I simply want you to consider the idea, Severus," Jennifer protested.

"I will consider it, and I have been considering it, Jennifer," Severus admitted, Jennifer brightening in response. "But considering isn't an answer, and even if it was, there is no way in hell I'm going to say yes when I'm uncertain that this isn't just some sort of panicked state of yours because you're getting older and you're beginning to realize that even with your slowed metabolic age that such opportunities are waning."

"But that's why we need to consider it now, Severus!" Jennifer said, Severus frowning at her and shaking his head.

"I'll begin considering it in a year," he decided. "And then only as a discussion."

"A year? But a year is so long!" Jennifer whined.

"Ah…there it is…tick…tick…tick, I can hear it quite clearly now myself…" Severus mused, and Jennifer slumped a little. "No, Jennifer, not until you start sorting that out. And besides, even if it proves not to be an option, we can always adopt again if we both feel we have the time and energy to spare for another."

"That isn't the same thing," Jennifer murmured.

"Are you saying that Corey and Fortuna are any less your children than the others?" Severus challenged her.

"Of course not, Severus. You know I love them all equally and individually. But that still doesn't make it the same," Jennifer said, sounding a little depressed.

"Either way, this discussion is officially closed for the time being. Besides, I would rather get back to the one we were having before about temptations," he said in a low voice. Jennifer chuckled at him.

"Honestly, Severus, aren't you even remotely worn out from spending nearly all of yesterday in this bed?" Jennifer said, shaking her head at him.

"Who said anything about staying in bed?" he said with a wicked smile, Jennifer eyeing him warily from both the smile and the clouds over his thoughts. "I have a better idea."

"Might I remind you that you have to be back at the school this afternoon?" Jennifer said.

"Yes, but that's hours from now…" he said, the smile turning even more sinister before rolling Jennifer onto her back.

"And I for one would like to have breakfast and a shower before I have to return home," Jennifer said with exasperation.

"Fancy you mentioning that, that's what I have on my own agenda, although not exactly in that order," Severus said, the smile never leaving. "And not exactly alone either."

"Um. What?" Jennifer said, before he suddenly grabbed her and picked her up. "Severus! What are you doing?"

"Giving into temptation, Jennifer, what else? For after all the tricks that daemon pulled to lure me in and even getting me to nibble on the bait a time or two, only you can truly inspire me to bite down on it," Severus said, carrying her into the bathroom.

"Um. Severus, what are you doing…hey that's cold!"

"It won't be in a moment."

"Severus!" Jennifer squealed.

* * *

Watching with disgust from the crystals, the Lady of the Lake scrunched up her nose in distaste. How repulsive those creatures are! And so quickly reduced to their animal ancestry! It wasn't any wonder that Merlin cared for them, he always was a perverted bastard, befouled as he was from his half demon father. Viviane waved the image away in disgust. She could hardly mess with Jennifer with Severus hanging about so closely in any case, but they would part ways soon. No, perhaps it would be best to wait, she decided, for she had bigger quarry to consider.

She turned and gazed into another crystal then, squinting at the young, lanky, dark-haired boy who was quite happily and fervently kicking the dust up with his broom while Merlin, sitting in Toby guise, seemed busy at the counter of Toby's Trinkets writing on tiny sheets of paper. Suddenly Merlin paused, said something to the boy who then ran outside. Rewarding the eyes on his back by making an obscene gesture, Merlin then unconcernedly pulled the note off the top of the stack to put on his wall. Viviane growled. So, the old man planned to stay and watch over the boy himself, did he? Well, he could hardly stay in the Overworld forever. He had too many interests in Tir Na Nog not to go back at least long enough to check in. More than likely, he would wait until the boy was safely in Severus' care before he left.

Viviane paced the cavern as she pondered the options and then paused, blinking as she saw something very unexpected in one of the crystals that made her stare in horror, her lips white. But as she watched the scene play out further, the lips began to gain color and curl in a vengeful smile. So…fate would be tested, it would seem…events that shouldn't happen very well could happen…but perhaps…just perhaps…those unforeseen events might prove to be their undoing. For if free will gained the ultimate upper hand, Merlin would have no choice to curtail it to restore the balance, and that, perhaps, would give her the leverage she needed to finally get rid of him once and for all.

* * *

Jennifer Apparated in front of the Black Mansion still in her evening gown from two days before, sniffing the air thoughtfully before wandering around the side of the house to see Sirius at the grill cooking hamburgers. He blinked in surprise when he saw her.

"Hullo, Jennifer! Anna, Jennifer's back," he called in the window beside him. "How was your weekend?" he asked.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant, actually…" Jennifer beamed.

"Staying for lunch I hope? I've already started some for the girls," Sirius said.

"Sure, if you don't mind, although I can run home and change and come back later if not…"

"If it doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother me," Sirius said with amusement, glancing behind him as Anna came out the kitchen door and blinked at her as well.

"Hi, Jennifer. Good weekend?" she asked with a crooked smile.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant, couldn't have been more…."

"Brilliant?" Sirius offered.

"Exactly," Jennifer said enigmatically.

"Have a seat, want some ice tea or something?" Sirius asked.

"Fine, thanks!" Jennifer said cheerfully, sitting at the picnic table, Anna looking thoughtfully at the ribbon tied through the buttonhole of the back strap.

"Lost your button?" Anna asked.

"It was stolen, actually," Jennifer with a casual, almost innocent expression. Sirius reached in the window and grabbed the tea pitcher and some glasses of the counter, shaking his head.

"I feel robbed," Sirius chuckled, handing Jennifer a glass.

"She gets her button stolen, and you feel robbed?" Anna asked dubiously.

"Yes I do," Sirius said emphatically, putting the pitcher on the picnic table before going back over to check on the burgers. "I feel robbed of having a 'brilliant' weekend."

"Jennifer, can Sirius borrow Severus next weekend?" Anna inquired, Jennifer laughing outright at that, while Sirius dropped the burger he was flipping.

"That is not even remotely funny!" Sirius said flatly. "In fact, I'm going in to call the girls down before I get ill."

"You could have at least put another burger on first," Anna sighed, but then noticed one of the House Elves decided to chip in and fix the matter. "Don't let Sirius catch you doing that, Chloe, you know how he gets about that grill."

"I get the same way about my kitchen when I'm cooking, it drives Mercy batty," Jennifer chuckled.

"So, how is Severus doing?" Anna asked, getting a glass of her own.

"Better, I think," Jennifer said with a smile. "We actually spent a lot of time talking about what happened…in fact, it was really the first time we had really talked about it since he came back."

"You mean about Samira?"

"Oh…more than just that, though I did get him to open up about that this morning," Jennifer admitted. "We spent more time talking about how he had felt tied to the school, really, than anything else. Imprisoned by it…trapped to his job…in fact, I think one of the main reasons he had felt tied down by myself and his family had to do with the fact it further tied him down to the school, which is really how everything came to a head when Lyra died. Samira was just egging it on," Jennifer said dryly, "waiting to take advantage of the situation once the inevitable happened and Severus left to try and regain his control. Rather like a vulture picking at a deer after a wolf has brought it down. It's amazing he survived it."

"It doesn't bother you?" Anna asked quietly. Jennifer thought about it a moment.

"I understand it better," Jennifer said carefully. "And although I'm not sure he'll ever come to terms with the Samira thing in some ways, he has come to terms with himself again, not to mention he's come to terms with his job and family so we can finally move on. That's all that really matters."

"True," Anna agreed. "In fact, I envy that…considering just when I start to get comfortable, Sirius' own mistress shows up and I'm forced to slap her around until she goes away. Unfortunately, she always comes back sooner or later."

"Sirius' mistress?" Jennifer blinked, looking up in surprise.

"Lady Azkaban," Anna said dryly, and Jennifer nodded thoughtfully at that, looking up when Sirius, Lindsay and Lucky came out.

"Hey, who touched my grill?" Sirius frowned, wondering why the spatula was actually hanging in the side hook like it was supposed to be.

"Aw, man, you're back already?" Lucky complained, playing with the ball in her hand. "We were going to go to the park after lunch." Jennifer laughed.

"And here I was afraid you were going to be mad that we left like that. I should have known you wouldn't have been put out by it," Jennifer said with exasperation. "Tell you what, let's have lunch and I'll take you to the park myself. And, if it's all right with your parents, Lindsay, you can even come and stay at our house for a couple of nights."

"You don't have to do that, Jennifer," Anna said, despite the fact that Sirius was nodding vigorously behind her back.

"Oh, no really, it'll be terribly fun, and perhaps you two could get away for a change," Jennifer said a smile.

"I wouldn't mind," Lindsay said with a grin.

"I wouldn't mind either," Sirius put in, Anna glancing back at him. "We could have our own brilliant weekend then."

"Tomorrow's Monday," Anna said.

"We'll pretend it's a bank holiday," Sirius suggested, handing her a plate, before leaning over to his wife and whispering to her. "Can I steal your button too?"

"This dress has a zipper," Anna sighed at him.

"That'll work," Sirius decided before walking over to get another plate. Anna shook her head and looked over at Jennifer who was failing miserably to pretend that she was minding her own business.

"See what you've started?" Anna said accusingly. Jennifer laughed at her and accepted her plate, while the two girls simply shrugged at each other and sat down.


	6. Brownie Beach Memoirs

_A/N This chapter is the reintro for Lucky and Dale for the book, and an important reintro, considering that Lucky (and the Order) is the main focus of practically all the first half of the book. It also gives some hints to Dale's life outside of Hogwarts, as well as gave me an opportunity to explain the old running joke of why Thomas Craw shudders ominously when he mentions the American Brownies. Oh yes, and an intro to a character which is an obvious composite of three teen idols rolled into one, heh. I believe you'll figure that out when you see her name. In any case, hope you like it; this was a fun chapter to write, too. JCWriter._

Chapter Six

Brownie Beach Memoirs

As always, Lucky spent the first half of the summer in front of the television in the mornings and evenings and the park every afternoon, breaking only during meals, daily reading and sparring forms. Her summer homework had sat piled up on her desk without more than a passing thought until after Corey's birthday, when reluctantly she began to look it over, shoving it aside after a cursory glance. But then she received an International Post from Dale, which read: _Have a few days off the photo shoot…any way you can come visit me in California? Could use help on Arithmantics…comes with private beach and Galaxy tickets if you're interested…_ Lucky pondered in thoughtfully, glancing at Jennifer who was still going through the rest of the post.

"Here are our letters, Lucky. Want to go to the Alley in a bit?" she asked distractedly, setting it down in favor of the letter from Severus.

"Yeah, I guess. Get this, Dale is trying to bribe me to go to California to help him with his homework," Lucky snorted.

"Oh?" Jennifer said thoughtfully, checking the stack of post again and pulling out an International Post of her own. "Ah here we are… letter from Myrine. Apparently they've rented a beach house out there," she mused, pondering it a moment. "Well, I suppose you can go if you like," she decided, Lucky staring at her in disbelief.

"I never said I wanted to go!" Lucky protested. "Besides, who would let their fourteen year old daughter go half way across the globe to a boy's house two years older than her? Have you got no morals?" Jennifer chuckled at her.

"Lucky, Myrine and Bert are going to be there the entire time, it's a mere ten minutes by painting and forty minutes through the port keys, and even if there wasn't a full staff to keep an eye on the two of you and the fact that Dale can't get away with anything without the press knowing about it, you by your own admission can't stand Dale and are barely friends. Why would I worry? Besides, it isn't as if I couldn't just dig in your minds if I suspected anything might happen… not that I do, of course, I trust you, Lucky, which is the main reason I'd let you go," Jennifer explained. Lucky simply stared at her again. "Just keep your house key on you at all times and your emergency potion wallet and you'll be fine. Hm, perhaps we should get you a new bathing suit while we're in the Alley…let me go check with Alicia to see if she feels up to taking us or if we need to take the port stations."

"I didn't say I wanted to go!" Lucky protested again, but Jennifer walked out of the kitchen as if she hadn't heard her.

* * *

It was Dale who met them in the entry hall, quickly helping Pyther get the painting down who then helped Alicia out, Jennifer and Lucky following behind. He led them to a wooden deck where his father was kicking back next to his fancy covered grill 'keeping an eye on it' while Myrine was busy doing most of the work. They both fussed over Alicia until they found her a well cushioned lawn chair, Lucky listening boredly a moment while the adults talked until Dale tugged on her sleeve and the two of them went back inside to a huge kitchen to get some drinks.

"I'm so glad you came, Lucky, I've been going nuts out here with work," Dale said sincerely, getting out some lemonade. "I swear, nobody talks to me out here unless they want something, and they're way…way too accommodating to try to get it," Dale chuckled. "The guys are eating it up, though personally, I'm just ready to get back to school where everyone isn't playing 'nice' all the time."

"I promise I won't play nice," Lucky said dryly, and Dale grinned at her.

"Good, because if you did, then I would really start to worry," Dale chuckled. "I'm rather surprised you decided to come, to be honest."

"It was Jackie's idea, not mine," Lucky shrugged. "She probably just wants to take off to the castle tonight to see the Professor."

"Well, it's good to see them back to their old selves again," Dale smiled. "How's the rest of the order doing, or have you seen them at all? I've only talked to Bobby this summer."

"I see Connie, Lena and Pimra at North Broom a lot," Lucky shrugged. "Ambrose has been working all summer at Toby's but I've seen him at my brother's house sometimes. And Lindsay has turned into a groupie for your dumb band," she added with irritation.

"What?" Dale said.

"Ya, and I think if Bobby saw her room he'd probably hit the roof considering it's filled up with your pictures out of teen magazines," Lucky snorted. Dale blinked, his face turning pink. "Maybe you should go out with her or somethin'," she suggested, surprising Dale even more.

"I'd never come between Bobby and a girl," Dale said, shaking his head.

"Too late," Lucky snorted.

"Besides, I'm pretty sure Lindsay knows I'm not interested," Dale said carefully, Lucky eyeing him warily in return as if daring him to say anything else. "Hey, you want to go kick the ball around for a bit or something?" Lucky shrugged but got up, so Dale took that as a yes and got in the closet for his soccer ball before the two went out the back door and down the steps.

"Hey! I thought you were here to study?" Jennifer said accusingly with her hands on her hips.

"Um…yes, Professor, we'll work on that later," Dale promised, tossing the ball up. "Oh… and can we go to the pier tonight?"

"We'll see," Myrine said noncommittally, while Jennifer sighed with exasperation as the two of them walked closer to the beach. "I'd really rather not let them, but I suppose I could always try an indifference charm," she mused. "Ever since their album topped the charts, he's been harder to hide."

"The price of success," Jennifer chuckled. "At least there's always school. I think you did the right thing enrolling him in Hogwarts."

"Oh, yes, I'm quite sure of that, although Bert had his doubts," Myrine said.

"Yes, I did," Wilbert admitted. "But considering how the other boys are doing, I'm glad we did."

"Why, what's wrong with the band?" Francis asked.

"Tango's been in and out of the news lately for underage drinking, even had his driving license revoked," Myrine said in a low voice. "Unfortunately, it's got the paparazzi watching the rest of the group like hawks waiting for the next one to mess up. In fact, I'm a tad worried it might follow Dale back to Britain when we return."

"It can hardly follow him to Hogwarts, though, can it?" Jennifer shrugged unconcernedly.

"No, but… I'm more than a little concerned about the situation with Lucky, Jennifer," Myrine admitted, Jennifer gazing at her thoughtfully. "If they start getting curious enough about their relationship to start digging, I'm not sure what they're going to find. What if they somehow find out about her past in New York?"

"Considering she's still a minor, all those records are sealed, Myrine, and classified as magic. The official story is her family died of an accidental fire, and that is that," Jennifer said firmly.

"Jennifer, I know you've been in the spotlight often in your life, so you know how crafty these people can get at digging at the truth if they feel they have something to exploit," Myrine said. Jennifer grew somber. "So, we've been thinking of setting up some publicity dates for him for the next few months; perhaps at Christmas as well since we're doing the children's benefit this year. We'd get their input on it, of course."

"Lucky will say she doesn't care whether she actually does or not," Jennifer said, gazing out across the sand at them.

"She's afraid to get close to anyone," Alicia nodded. "Especially now, after losing Lyra like that. She'd rather be left alone."

"All the more reason to be concerned if their friendship draws her into the spotlight," Bert said. "I have several other clients that would work perfect for what we have in mind… might even help their sales at the same time." Myrine gave him a dirty look.

"Well, I can't say I know enough about what you do to disagree," Jennifer said with a chuckle. "But we probably ought to be going. Oh…could you remind Lucky to tie her shoelaces together and put her socks under her pillow? I don't think she's ever been in a house with Brownies before."

"Then this should be extremely enlightening for her," Myrine said with amusement. "Because if I'm not mistaken, it's union night." Wilbert let out a loud groan, and Jennifer became even gladder that she had decided to return home instead of take their offer to stay.

* * *

Lucky piled the bed high with cheap stuffies from the pier before burying herself in the middle of them, allowing the sound of the ocean to lull her to sleep. This isn't so bad, she decided, rather enjoying the damp, cool and slightly bitter smelling breeze wafting in the windows. But she hadn't been asleep more than an hour when she heard something very strange. In fact, it almost sounded like someone attempting to play the bagpipes… and miserably failing. Lucky turned over, deciding it must have been some sort of boat whistle. But the sound was persistent, and she growled.

Kicking off the covers and pulling on some pants, she crept out of her room to investigate. As she slipped into the corridor, she noticed that the sound was getting louder and glanced up at the ceiling thoughtfully. She crept around unsurely, trying to find a way up when she felt a hand on her arm and came around swinging. But Dale knew her well enough to expect it and easily blocked it, putting his finger to his lips and telling her to be quiet before gesturing for her to follow towards a narrow attic stair.

When they got to the trap door, he quietly indicated it was locked and winked, tapping at it. Getting the hint, Lucky cracked her knuckles and put her hand on the door, slowly feeling the lock before hearing the bolt on the other side slide open.

At her nod, Dale carefully lifted the trap just enough so both of them could peer into the attic. Lucky stared in and gaped in amazement, for what she saw was thirteen tiny elves. They looked decidedly like House Elves…except for the fact they were wearing pants… well, mostly. The thirteenth brownie was wearing a kilt instead, and there was a big blue button with a red ribbon taped to it on his brown shirt. He was also wearing a gnomish cone hat that flopped in the middle as if it didn't fit quite right, but fortunately its ears helped keep it in place.

"Here ye! Here ye! The thirty-four thousandth, seven hundred and fifty-third meeting of the Third Union of Brownies of PCH, SaMo Division, now comes to order, honorably elected Sugartop presiding!" gasped one of the Brownies after saying it all in one breath. The Brownie in the kilt, apparently Sugartop, cleared his throat.

"I vote we take a vote on whether or not we take a vote!" one of the Brownies said.

"I vote for a honey break!" another said.

"I have one! I have one!" waved the first Brownie who spoke, making such a fuss that Sugartop sighed at him.

"What is it, Nutmeg?" he asked.

"I vote we start over on meeting numbers!" Nutmeg said. "They're getting too hard to say!"

"Second!" said the Second Brownie.

"Any opposed?" Sugartop asked.

"Me!" a Brownie said, flailing.

"What is it, Chip?" Sugartop asked with a sigh.

"The numbers keep track of how long we've been the Third Union of Brownies! We can't be the Third Union of Brownies if we change the number! I vote we change the name to Fourth Union of Brownies first," said Chip.

"Second!" said the Second Brownie.

"Fine, any opposed?" he asked. All the Brownies looked at each other seriously.

"All in favor?" All the Brownies raised their hands enthusiastically.

"Welcome to the Fourth Union of Brownies! What is going to be our first vote?" Sugartop asked. Lucky sighed.

"I vote for a honey break!" said one.

"I vote for a ban on instant oatmeal!" another one said.

"Second!" said the Second Brownie.

"Any opposed?" Sugartop asked. A girl Brownie (at least, Lucky thought it was a girl) raised her hands. "Yes, Sprinkles?"

"I like the ones with the little dried apples," she protested. Some of the others groaned.

"All right, all right, how about we ban all instant oatmeal without apples then?" Sugartop asked. The Brownies looked at each other. "All in favor?" All of them raised their hands.

"We're getting far tonight, aren't we?" one of the Brownies in back commented, impressed, another one nodding.

"Anyone have any other votes?" Sugartop asked.

"I vote we vote on what good deed to do tonight!" said a Brownie.

"Second!" the Second Brownie said.

"I vote we fold towels!"

"Oh, no, not again, Butterscotch. Do you remember the last time we voted that we folded towels?" Chip complained.

"Wait! I didn't say, 'any opposed' yet!" Sugartop said.

"Fine, say away," Chip sighed.

"Any opposed?" Sugartop said. Chip raised his hand. "Yes, Chip?"

"Do you remember the last time we voted that we folded towels?" he repeated. Lucky rolled her eyes. "Half of us voted to fold them on the left, and half of us voted to fold them on the right, and by the time we decided to fold them down the middle, it was too close to dawn to actually do it. So I vote we vote on something that doesn't need folded!"

"Second!" said the Second Brownie.

"Any opposed?" Sugartop said, and Sugartop sighed when he saw whose hand was raised. "Yes, Walnut? You have an objection to this folding thing?"

"No, I just want to know if it's honey break yet," Walnut said.

"Second!" said the Second Brownie.

"One vote at a time, please!" Sugartop said, then looked blank. "What were we voting on again?"

"Folding towels!" said Chip.

"Honey breaks!" said Walnut.

"I vote we just do dishes," said Nutmeg.

"Let's vote to just vote tomorrow," Butterscotch said. Soon the entire lot of them was fighting, and Dale slowly lowered the trap door, pulling Lucky back.

"Brownies were originally from Scotland. They revolted from the rest of the House Elves and came to America during the Colonial period… made their home in the Green Hills and spread out from there. But one thing I've found out from living with them is…democracy and Brownies are a bad combination," Dale grinned, leading her back to her room. As Lucky went back in try and get some sleep, still hearing the scratching noises of them fighting above her head, she decided that for once she agreed with him.

* * *

The next morning just after breakfast, the two of them dug into their homework at Myrine's insistence, making herself at home at the kitchen bar with her laptop so she could scowl at them every time their conversation turned off of schoolwork.

"Did you take just Enchanted Algorithms this year or did you take Proofs and Magical Theory as well?" Dale asked in a low voice.

"Yeah, Ancient Runes too, so I get to have Tangent three times, that should keep my marks up. Too bad I have to take Magical Creatures this year."

"Ouch, four electives? Good thing you don't have Quidditch, or you'd be strapped for time… I was going to take Proofs, but since I have to keep up with Items, I only felt comfortable taking one more, what with OWLS this year, so I decided to take Ancient Magic instead. I'm surprised you're not taking it, really…"

"What? No way, the Professor is teaching that class, and I've heard everybody tellin' horror stories in the classroom, there ain't no way I'm subjectin' myself to that," Lucky said. "The one time I had him, he gave us a test and Delia ended up gettin' spots!"

"Surely he's not that bad," Dale chuckled. Myrine let out an exasperated sigh.

"All right, you two, enough! If I let Lucky go back home without at least the Arithmantics done, I would have to hear it from Jennifer, and I have enough to do without worrying about that," Myrine said testily. "Not to mention the fact that I doubt either of us would let you do this again if you didn't… and I'm also not likely to let you go to the March's house after you're done with your television shoot, Irwindale, so I expect you get at it."

"Television shoot?" Lucky asked.

"Guest appearance on a teen sitcom…or a zitcom as they sometimes call them out here," Dale murmured. Lucky grinned, but Myrine looked back up with exasperation.

"Did you want to go to the game today, or not?" she challenged him, and he quickly went back to his work. It was over an hour later when they finally got a break as Dale's father walked in, looking unusually cheerful, and Myrine noticed it thoughtfully. "You have dollar signs in your eyes again. What have you been up to?" she asked her husband warily.

"You are always so suspicious!" Bert said, kissing his wife on the cheek while Dale glanced at him curiously. "As a matter of fact, I have been doing some this and that finagling, and I was able to invite someone else along to the game today! You'll never guess who!" Dale gazed at his father suspiciously.

"On second thought, that's the fame and fortune look, not the dollar sign look," Myrine decided.

"You could at least attempt to guess," Bert said with exasperation, but nobody said anything. "Fine, I'll tell you! Duffy Dakota!" he beamed. Dale stared at him.

"Who?" Lucky asked flatly. Bert blinked at her, while Dale smirked slightly.

"Who?" Bert repeated. "She's the biggest teen idol in years! Everyone knows who Duffy Dakota is! She has three albums, her own TV show, a movie coming out…and not to mention all the merchandising with her own clothing line, lipstick line and of course toy line… dress up dolls…"

"Dad," Dale stopped him quickly. "No dolls."

"Yes, let's not get into that discussion again," Myrine agreed.

"No, no, no, I wasn't going to, it was simply an example!" Bert protested, although Lucky noticed that Dale and Myrine were both looking at him like they didn't quite trust him. "But there's nothing wrong with a bit of tasteful merchandising, is there?" he asked, and Dale rolled his eyes and turned back towards his homework. "Oh! And those cute sticker sets for girls to put on their nails and did I mention the tattoos? She's even supposed to come out with her own special workout video."

"Sixteen year old girls should _not_ have workout videos," Myrine said flatly. "And we're not going there either."

"Well, I was thinking that, you know, if things go well, perhaps she'd be willing to do a cameo spot in Second Chance's next music video? That would be fun, wouldn't it?" Bert said to his son, who was trying to ignore him.

"Okay, now I see the dollar signs coming out," Myrine admitted. "I take it you've invited her and her entourage to the suite to discuss it?"

"Oh, well, yes, but I gave her one of the club seats as well," he said cheerfully, Dale turning around again.

"We only have four club seats, Dad."

"It's quite all right, Dale, I'll simply stay in the suite and chat with Duffy's agent and her mother, while you four have fun watching the game and being watched, because I'm quite sure the press is going to love seeing you both," Bert said. Dale stared at his Dad for a long time before turning back around and covering his face with his hand, well aware that on the other side of him Lucky's glare was trying to bore holes in his head.

"I thought we all agreed that we were going to have a family discussion about these sorts of publicity stunts with Dale before we set one up, Wilbert?" Myrine said with a dangerous smile. Dale looked up, staring fixedly at his mother this time.

"Oh, yes, I know, but it was too good of opportunity to pass up! Really, Myrine, it's not every day we get this sort of a plug, and with all the bad publicity, we could use a more positive rumor out and about! Besides, it's just for the game, isn't it?" Bert said.

"Everything is a game to you, Dad," Dale said, getting up. "Mom, can we go take a walk?"

"Yes, I think that'd be a good idea," Myrine agreed quickly. Lucky didn't much feel like walking, but she also didn't feel much like staying there, either, especially when it was obvious from the dangerous flash in Myrine's eyes that she had a lot to say to her husband, and she was pretty sure it wouldn't all be favorable.

Dale paused at the bottom of the deck stairs until she came out, walking towards the beach.

"Sorry about that, Lucky, my Dad can be a bit of a jerk sometimes. Comes from him being my agent as well," Dale explained, Lucky simply shrugging in response. "Last thing I wanted was work to get in the way. I barely get any time off as it is."

"No big deal," Lucky shrugged. "'Sides, you never know, you might hit it off or somethin'." Dale sighed and glanced over at her, but she was too busy staring out at the surf to notice.

"You're never going to give me a break, are you?" Dale murmured.

"Look. I like you, Dale, you're a good guy, okay?" Lucky said in a tone that made Dale sigh again, already knowing whatever she was going to say wasn't going to be good. "But let's face it. Adopted or not, I'm still just a street kid from the barrio and you're Mr. Hollywood Hills. So why don't you find some nice Malibu Barbie to goggle at and let's just be friends, okay?" Lucky said.

"Wait a minute…are you trying to say I'm too white for you?" Dale asked in disbelief.

"No, what I'm sayin' is you're too everything for me. We may go to school together, but we don't live on the same planet, _chico,_" Lucky said bluntly, while Dale was still staring at her.

"Wow, Lucky, I never figured you to be that much of a snob before," Dale said evenly. "In fact, I think you're the biggest snob I've ever met… and you know, on my planet, that takes real talent. But fine, if that's the way you want it, fine, I'm done trying then. Come on, we should probably start getting ready for the game."

Dale turned and immediately started back, while Lucky took her time washing the sand off her feet and sandals so she didn't have to walk back with him. She waited until he had gotten several yards away from her before turning to watch him walk to the house with his hands in his pockets and his head down, not looking back. It was better that way, Lucky told herself, getting her wand out long enough to cast the footprint spell before walking back by herself. It wasn't like he couldn't have any other girl he wanted, after all, and anything was better than risking hurting or getting hurt again.

* * *

Dale's father seemed blissfully unaware of the mood change of Dale and Lucky when they arrived at the Home Depot Center, despite the fact that his wife kept giving him warning looks. But Bert was on another roll, and even heavy fisted Myrine had trouble keeping him in check when his locomotive was running at full speed, regardless of what obstacles might be on the tracks. It was, admittedly, how his clients had gotten as far as they had in their careers; but the fact that his son was in one of the biggest bands he had ever repped had quite literally gone to his head, and Myrine found she was spending less of her time doing her job pushing the magic album and more time keeping her husband anchored with a bit of common sense.

"Tubby! How are you? Nice box!" said a man standing in the door of a suite, waving to Bert. "Tubthumping again, are we?"

"Always, Jody, always," Bert said cheerfully. "You know Myrine, of course, and my son Dale, the man of the hour."

"Mr. White," Dale said politely when the other agent offered his hand.

"Good to see you, Dale! You look well! So, how does it feel to finally be out of commercials and into the limelight?" White asked with a smile.

"Less embarrassing at least," Dale admitted with a grin. "This is Lucky, one of my schoolmates."

"Hello, Lucky! Enjoying California?" White asked.

"Some of it, thanks," Lucky said.

"Well, come in, come in! I'm sure you'll be excited to meet who I brought with me," White said with a wink, and the four of them followed him inside to see that several others were already in there, including, Lucky thought with a slight smirk, a life-sized Malibu Barbie who could be none other than Duffy herself. She had fine blonde hair that looked as if it had been tortured straight, fashionably pink makeup from lips to cheeks to eye shadow, and dangling hoop earrings with little hearts on them. Her tan was a bit too even to have been acquired naturally, and her eyes were a deep brown that made Lucky wonder if even her hair color was for real. Of course, Duffy wasn't noticing the scrutiny at all. She was too busy staring fixedly at Dale in a way that Lucky decidedly didn't like.

"Might I have the pleasure to introduce the lady of the hour, Miss Duffy Dakota!"

"Who?" Lucky said flatly. Myrine smiled warningly at her, while Bert cleared his throat.

"Delighted, my dear!" Bert said. "And this, of course, is Mr. Dale Chance."

"Oh, I'm so glad to finally meet you! I love your group, they're fantastic! I have your whole album on my favorite playlist, of course," she said cheerfully. "Are you coming out with another soon?"

"Not until next fall," Dale said with a grin. "I love your music as well, you're going on tour soon, aren't you?"

"Oh, yes! We'll even be in London near Christmas time, you'll have to come see it, I'm sure we can hook you up with some front row seats if you like!" Duffy said, glancing sideways at Lucky. "For you and your friends."

"This is Lucky Snape, she's just a schoolmate of mine," Dale explained.

"Oh, is she? Nice to meet you, Lucky!" Duffy said with a smile. "Goodness, you really are lucky to have a friend like Dale, aren't you? I know a lot of young girls your age that are probably really jealous of you to even know him."

"Yeah, I get that," Lucky said stiffly.

"Well, thanks for inviting me today, Dale! I don't know much about the sport, honestly, so I hope you can explain everything to me during the game! I've always been more of a basketball fan. I like taller men," Duffy explained. Lucky glowered at her darkly. "But then you're awfully tall, too!"

"Yeah, that's how I ended up in the center," Dale said with a grin.

"And here I thought it was just because you were the cutest," Duffy said. Lucky rolled her eyes.

"We should be probably think about getting to our seats," Myrine said quickly, not quite trusting what Lucky might say if given enough opportunity.

"Yes, probably a good idea," Dale agreed, noticing the murderous look on Lucky's face despite the fact he was pretending to ignore it. Duffy immediately grabbed Dale's arm and he led her out. Lucky simply shook her head and followed along with Myrine, more than a little annoyed every time they ended up stopping so one person or another could take a photo. This was definitely not her idea of a life, Lucky decided, and could be no happier when the game ended and she could finally head back home.


	7. An Acknowledgement of Fate

Chapter Seven

An Acknowledgement of Fate

  Jennifer Apparated in front of the art studio, ran to the back door and straight into the houseful of Snapes, most of them hovering near the couch where Francis looked even more off color than he did when he was a vampire.

  "How far along is she?  I don't suppose she can wait six more hours?" Jennifer said, everyone in the room throwing her a dirty look.

  "I dare you suggest that to her, Mum," Aurelius said flatly.

  "Drat, I was so hoping we'd have the same birthday," Jennifer said with disappointment.  "Who's in there with her?"

  "Alex and Rose, Mum, and Sagittari of course," Corey said.  "Francis said he wanted to go in but…well…" he glanced over at the couch at where Francis was breathing in a paper bag and wearing an ice bag on his head.

  "So instead of one person in labor, we have two," Essie teased.  Just then, a door opened and everyone paused, while Jennifer, in a good position to see down the hall, began beaming ecstatically as Alex appeared with a baby wrapped in blue blankets.  Corey and Andrew jointly pulled Francis to a sitting position, making him blink in surprise.

  "Might I have the honor of presenting Mr. Michael Francis Pyther for his father's perusal?" Alex said mischievously.  "Stand up, Francis, doctor's orders."

  "What?  Oh, no, I might drop him!" Francis protested, but with a quick glance to Corey, Andrew and he got Francis to his feet in time for Alex to plop the baby down in Francis' arms.  "But what if I faint?"

  "Now, would you really do that to your son?" Alex tsked at him.

  "My son?" Francis repeated in awe, staring at the baby in complete disbelief while Jennifer hovered behind him with an elated smile.

  "My goodness, he's a long time in coming, isn't he?  That must have been some tedious wait," Jennifer said mischievously.  "Never was there ever such a natural born procrastinator."

  "Perhaps, but it was well worth the wait," Francis said softly, glancing up when he heard heavy hooves on the wooden floors, looking up to see Rose and then Sagittari stepping in the room.

  "Alicia is ready for visitors.  In fact, she's demanding it," Sagittari said amusedly.

  "Oh, dear, I had better get in there…" Francis said.

  "Not with him, you don't," Jennifer said, immediately taking charge of Michael before the others crowded in.

  "Five minutes," Sagittari warned.  "I am going to see if it is dark enough for a reading yet."

  Jennifer smiled thoughtfully at the centaur before turning her attention back to the baby, the others taking their turns to see him as well before she finally made her way back to the bedroom, knocking gently before bringing him back in.

   "Mine!" Alicia said demandingly, putting her hands out when Jennifer came in.

  "Yes, yours, but you still have to share," Jennifer said with a smile, sitting on the bed so she could hand him back over to her.

  "Can I have my sketchbook?" Alicia said excitedly.

  "There will be time and more for that later," Jennifer chuckled softly.  "I'm going to go make sure your sisters have everything in hand here, then I'd best get to the castle to relieve your father."

  "Yes, please, I want him to be here too," Alicia agreed enthusiastically.  "Michael wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't for him."

  "I'm sure he would discount his part in it," Jennifer chuckled.  "Love is the true miracle worker in this case, I think."

  "He is very much a little miracle, isn't he," Francis agreed, kissing his wife with adoration.

  "They all are," Jennifer said with a smile, allowing herself a wistful sigh before slipping out of the room, sharing quick words with the others before stepping outside.  She glanced around, wondering where Sagittari went, wandering down the street towards the nearest clearing to see the doctor standing there silently gazing up at the darkening sky. 

  "Anything interesting?" Jennifer asked quietly as she walked up, Sagittari glancing at her thoughtfully before gazing upwards again.  "Good I hope?"

  "Yes," Sagittari said solemnly.  "Leo as Hermes is rising…that means Mercury at sunset.  The stars predict he will be healthy, cunning, and have a restless spirit which prefers to wander…a kind and understanding leader but a poor follower, very creative and very obstinate." Jennifer laughed softly to herself.

  "That does sound like family," Jennifer admitted.  "I wonder if he'll be a painter too?"

  "It does not say," Sagittari admitted seriously.  "Although with Hermes influence he may have a talent with Transfiguration, or perhaps shapeshifting of some kind."

  "An animagus then?" Jennifer asked.

  "Perhaps," Sagittari nodded, gazing at her searchingly while Jennifer gazed upwards thoughtfully.  "Since when do you seek the council of the stars?"

  "I was just curious, really, you know I've never understood much about it except for the basics," Jennifer admitted.  "But I am glad he has a fate he can easily work with and not have to fight against.  Ah, what was that?" she said, directing the doctor's attention back to the sky.  "I swear I thought I saw a shooting star just now…over there.  Is that bad?"

  "They can be at times, yes, but that one will not affect Michael's reading," Sagittari said, gazing upwards.  "That was simply a precursor to the Perseids…a meteor shower which will be at its fullest tomorrow night."

  "Oh, no, tomorrow is my birthday," Jennifer groaned.  "Please tell me I'm not in for another rough year."

  "I do not know yet, but I will look tomorrow night if you like," Sagittari offered solemnly.

  "I would like that, thank you," Jennifer said, and Sagittari gazed at her intently again, so much so that Jennifer smiled gently at him, realizing how strange that must have sounded coming from her.  "I believe in Fate, Sagittari, just as much as I believe in Free Will, I've just never been able to sort out how they can both exist at the same time before.  It's rather like a fish following the currents of the river…the easiest thing to do, of course, would be to follow the currents, although sometimes that's just not wise…there's rocks or waterfalls or other dangers ahead, which would be best to change course to try and work your way around, or perhaps even find another current altogether.  And maybe sometime after the fish works its way back to the current to find the easy path again."

  "Sometimes the current is too strong to escape, however," Sagittari said quietly, and Jennifer knew immediately he was thinking of his daughter.

  "I don't know if that's possible or not. I'm not sure I've ever faced that," Jennifer said thoughtfully.  "In every case I've come close to death, Fate has been on my side, believing I should live.  But Lyra… Lyra never fought the current, Sagittari, not really.  She accepted it always, and never strayed too far from it.  She chose to follow it, just as she chose Hermius over the potions… she did that on her own, after all… she wanted to feel that current again, even knowing full well where that current lead.  It was a very brave decision, really.  I doubt I would have been that brave or bold with such a decision, but it was her decision… her free will… to follow her fate.  What an amazing centaur she was!"

  "Yes," Sagittari said distantly, gazing up at the constellation of Lyra thoughtfully.  "Yes, I suppose you are right."  Jennifer smiled and patted his side gently before finally stepping away to leave him alone with his thoughts, Apparating to the gates of Hogwarts and walking in.

  She was quite unsurprised to find the stairs being helpful as she climbed up them, soon finding herself passing the dragon statue and walking up the spiral stairs to see Severus in the Headmaster's Study with his nose in the book she had gave him for Christmas last year.

  "I'm back," Jennifer said, despite the fact it was obvious.  "And we have a new grandson."

  "Michael Francis Pyther, it would seem," Severus commented, Jennifer pursing her lips in response, and then noticed him gesturing to the side of the room.  Jennifer smiled, walking over to where he had borrowed the school registry out of Hermione's office.

  "And another Hogwarts hopeful, I see," Jennifer said, gazing up the list.  "Rus still isn't in here yet?"

  "Now, Jennifer, you know that sometimes takes years.  Don't start worrying about that already," Severus said, marking his place.

  "I remember how worried we got about Alicia when she didn't appear right away," Jennifer said.

  "Yes, and she did eventually, did she not?"

  "On her due date, as a matter of fact," Jennifer said.  "Perhaps I'll ask Ick about him, I'm sure he'd remember if his own namesake gets here or not," she mused.  Severus gave her a dirty look.  "I joined Sagittari while he was taking Michael's star reading, by the way.  It was quite good, although it sounds like he might prove to be a handful."

  "I could have told you that just from who his parents are," Severus sighed, getting up.  "Besides, you know how I feel about that."

  "And quite understandable, after twenty-five years of Merlin's influences on you," Jennifer said, ignoring his annoyed look.  "But somewhere deep down you know Fate exists and plays a strong part in your life, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, and it always has."

  "Jennifer, the main reason I am alive to this day is because I broke from Fate and chose to make my own decisions regardless of what anyone predicted, you of all people know that quite well," Severus said, frowning at her disapprovingly.

  "Yes, and the main reason I am alive to this day is because you believed the two of us were fated to be with each other, or you would have never risked putting me in Cosmic Sleep and I would have died at Voldemort's hand the first year we met…not to mention all the times you or I manipulated that spell to benefit us and keep us alive…"

  "That simply means we are extremely compatible, Jennifer, nothing more."

  "I don't believe you, Severus," Jennifer said, shaking her head at him and following him into the sitting room as he got his cloak and got ready to leave.  "I really don't think you'd short change our relationship like that, not even after last year.  In fact, in some ways I think that's what last year was all about, really… your fight with fate.  But you can't have gone through such an ongoing battle with something that didn't exist, Severus."

  "I was fighting myself, Jennifer, nothing more," Severus said quietly, pausing by the door to give her a kiss.  "Really, must you go on so about something that really doesn't matter?  I'm here now because I came to realize that you are the best thing that ever happened to me and I was nothing short of insane to leave you.  Fate had nothing at all to do with that decision."

  "I know that, Severus," Jennifer said with a loving smile.  "Fate always bows to free will, otherwise it wouldn't be free will, would it?"  Sighing with exasperation, Severus kissed her again.

  "I'll be back shortly.  Don't you go getting any more peculiar on me in the meantime.  How anyone can change as much as you did in those short months we were apart is beyond me."

  "The changes were hardly one sided, Severus," Jennifer said.  "What fascinates me is how many of them were positive ones, all things considering."

  "Yes," Severus said evenly, but having nothing to add he wandered out, deep in thought. 

  Jennifer watched him leave, gazing at the Dragonheart diamond ring on her hand for a long time, pondering it.  Would Severus ever come to terms with both as she had learned to do?  It seemed silly… perhaps even more than a bit hypocritical… for someone to wear such a ring without understanding how both were important.  For it was more than Fate itself at stake; Fate was an acknowledgement of faith and divine order… of being born for purpose and having meaning to life and even death.  And although it was true that Severus did believe in faith itself to some extent, Jennifer knew he also quickly discounted it when it suited his mood.  At least Severus had finally come to terms with his mortality; that much was entirely clear.  But the fact that he didn't always acknowledge the spiritual half of himself bothered Jennifer to no end, and she was quite determined to do something about it.

  She waited no longer than Severus' departure from the castle before she wandered towards the North Tower and up the winding stair, hesitating momentarily when she noticed that Icarus Ravenclaw was materialized and pacing the room with a troubled expression on his face, sometimes even forgetting to turn at the wall and going through it for a moment before reappearing and floating the other direction.

  Finally, Jennifer got up the nerve to clear her throat and he paused to look over at her.  She was expecting the dazed, distant gaze that often accompanied Icarus when he was in one of his fitful moods, so she was quite surprised indeed when he immediately focused in on her with a sharp but solemn expression.

  "Oh, it's just you, I see," Icarus said.

  "Just me?" Jennifer repeated, stepping in.  "Are you expecting someone else?"

  "The moment Severus is safely away from the castle, yes," Icarus nodded.

  "He just left," Jennifer said with a frown.  "Why would that matter?  Who are you expecting?"

  "Someone who probably isn't going to be happy you're here," Icarus shrugged, continuing to pace, Jennifer studying his face fixedly and then paling when she realized who it was.

  "I had better get out of here…" she began.

  "I'm afraid it's too late for that," Icarus told her apologetically.  But before Jennifer could question him further, she felt a presence and looked up in time to see Lady Viviane coming up the stairs and stepping into the room.  "Your Ladyship," Icarus said, bowing slightly, but Viviane was busy squinting at Jennifer.

  "And just why is she here?" Viviane asked flatly.

  "I'm in charge of the castle at the moment," Jennifer said evenly.

  "She was here to consult me on an unrelated matter, but she is more than welcome," Icarus said, finally stopping his pace and hovered at the front of the classroom.

  "Since when do you consult this fool at all?" Viviane asked.

  "Since when do you?" Jennifer challenged in return.

  "I do not need to consult anyone," Viviane said coldly, before turning to Icarus who had floated almost protectively in front of Jennifer.

  "Then what, pray, do I owe the honor of this visit to?" Icarus asked.

  "I demand an explanation to your recent interference with this boy," Viviane said.  Jennifer frowned but didn't say anything.

  "Boy?  What boy?" Icarus asked innocently.

  "You know what boy.  Merlin's recent spawn, which you personally have been instructing in the prophetic arts!" Viviane said.

  "His name is Ambrose, Lady Viviane, and I have done nothing more than my job as a teacher of Hogwarts, and therefore I have not interfered.  It is in no way my decision as to what classes he takes.  That is up to the Headmaster and his mother," Icarus said.

  "Are you trying to tell me that his father had nothing to do with it?" Viviane frowned.

  "Nothing whatsoever," Icarus assured her.  "In fact, I believe he took Divination on Severus' recommendation."

  "In which case, Merlin has simply interfered by proxy," Viviane said evenly, then glanced at Jennifer, who was glaring darkly at her.  "What?  Care to deny it?"

  "I'm not speaking for either of them, especially in a matter that is none of my business," Jennifer said.

  "Good, it's about time you learned your place," Viviane said.  But Jennifer knew better than to comment, reminding herself of her promise to Merlin to stay out of it as much as possible and just let her knuckles whiten instead.  "I do not believe it is in your best interests to keep encouraging this boy in your field, Icarus."

  "I simply encourage Ambrose to express his own interests, my lady, and what he chooses to do with that is his to decide," Icarus said firmly.  "And despite what you might be thinking at the moment, Ambrose was supposed to exist, Lady Viviane.  I myself had memories of him before I died, although frankly I didn't know how or when at the time."

  "Do you know why?" Viviane asked thoughtfully.

  "Yes," Icarus said solemnly.  "Merlin had a gap in his memory and he was attempting to correct it.  He has told you as much, has he not?"

  "And do you have this gap?" Viviane asked.

  "My lady, I died over a thousand years ago, and I only lived half a human's natural life span.  My memories past Voldemort's death are hardly complete…"

  "I didn't imply they were," Viviane said crisply.  "Do you remember things from Merlin's supposed gap that he does not?"

  "Yes," Icarus sighed.  "But I'm not about to tell you about them.  I did promise I wouldn't tell you, and I'm not about to break that promise, my lady."

  "Promise?  Promise to who?" Viviane snapped.

  "To Merlin himself," Icarus admitted.  "I promised it twenty or thirty years from now and with witnesses.  I think he did that to make sure I remembered it, since he wanted to make the promise retroactive."

  "What?" Viviane growled.

  "I will do no more than my duty as a Hogwarts professor to act within the best interests of the child in question…or any other child under my instruction, for that matter, Lady Viviane.  But you will find that my interference in the current events is minimal at most.  Your interference in this matter, however, is sure to have rather earth shattering and long term consequences if you're not careful, and not necessarily all of them will turn out to be in your best interests.  In fact, you might want to reconsider any particular quests of revenge you may hatch in the near future…"

  "How dare you!" Viviane said with open outrage, growing taller by the second, her fists clenched in anger.  "How dare you prophesize against me!"

  "I wasn't prophesizing, my lady.  I was merely offering you my advice," Icarus said calmly.

  "You have no more right to attempt to give me advice than you have to prophesize against me!" Viviane said furiously, Jennifer suddenly coming alive and walking in front of her.

  "I think you had better leave now, Viviane.  I rather don't like the tone of this conversation and as head of school security, I think it's in everyone's best interests if you go somewhere else and cool off," Jennifer said firmly.

  "And I will not stand for your interference in this matter either!  Merlin's protection only goes so far, especially considering the Agreements that he has broken with me," Viviane said.

  "Perhaps so, but right now I'm acting under the protection of Hogwarts," Jennifer said, raising her voice to match Viviane's own.  "This parlay is over, and therefore, it is time for you to go, unless you would rather us start invading your house for more than just a parlay."

  "If you ever dare enter my abode, Jennifer Craw Snape, you will never leave it," Viviane said with such a dark look in her face and such a tone in her voice that Jennifer knew better than to doubt it.  But fortunately, the seething Fae seemed content with that resolve, sweeping back out of the room leaving only a curious chill as if all of the heat in the room was drawn out with her.  Jennifer glanced over at Icarus' ghostly face; sharp, grim, but curiously tired.  He gazed over at Jennifer then as if suddenly remembering she was there.

  "Come, let's have our chat, Jennifer.  Don't worry.  She won't be coming back to the school for a while.  She won't need to," he sighed, walking through the door of his office.  Jennifer opened it, noticing a tea set out for her.

  "Why won't she need to, Ick?" Jennifer asked, but looked around, not seeing his materialized form.

  "Because her plan is to force certain people to come to her, of course," Icarus' voice said from all around her.  "And to force others to do her bidding against their wills.  I suppose you can guess which part of the plan we fit into then, considering we can hardly go there," he said in an almost casual tone, finally rematerializing on a small table at the corner, pouring lumpy milk into his tea.

  "Well, if she thinks I am going to do her 'bidding', she has another thing coming," Jennifer promised him.

  "I feel the same, of course," Icarus said somberly.  "But I wonder if we really will be given a true choice in this matter of fate?"

  "I do believe in fate, Icarus," Jennifer said, Icarus smiling softly in understanding.  "But I believe in free will equally…there's always an option."

  "Care to test that newfound belief of yours, Jennifer?" Icarus said in a rather toying tone.  Jennifer gazed at him thoughtfully as he nibbled on a fuzzy green sandwich.

  "What did you have in mind?" Jennifer asked.


	8. Jennifer's New Research Project

Chapter Eight

Jennifer's New Research Project

Jennifer Apparated to the gate the next day and then blinked, clearing her throat loudly before finally approaching the two men leaning against the wall.

"Ah, good mornin' to you, Professor Craw, how's the form?" John Carnegie asked warmly, while the dark-haired man next to him smiled unsurely, nodding politely.

"Fine, thanks. Did you boys have a good summer?" Jennifer said in return.

"Oh, daecent, daecent, 'tho I'm a mite homesick, of course," John admitted, glancing over at the other man.

"They still won't sign off on your guardianship papers, Mitch?" Jennifer asked with a frown.

"They ah… well, they don't think I can manage him, actually, if he got it into his head to bolt," Mitch admitted.

"Not that they'll give me an area extension as it is," John complained. "They're so sure I'll be trottin' off to the Alley or Gobbietown to cause trouble, they've got me allowed no further south than Langholm. Here, Professor, can't you or himself or your dad even maybe put in a good word for us, bein' that my record's been clean as a whistle since I took this job? Not one bob or bauble has danced through these hands I didn't earn since that unfortunate encounter at the jewelry shop… I'd even ignore the whole London affair if they'd let me back to Ireland now an' then so Mitch ain't forced ta come here."

"I don't mind so much," Mitch said. "It's better than having to visit Azkaban after all, Johnny," he put in.

"You're nae helpin' me here," John frowned at him.

"I think he has a point," Jennifer grinned. "But all right, John, I'll put in a good word for you with the Headmaster at least, although I have a feeling he personally would be more than a little worried about losing another caretaker if something went wrong."

"Would that be a lack o' faith in his own rehabilitation efforts, or just a lack o' faith in me, Professor Craw?" John asked.

"If he had a lack of faith in you, John, he wouldn't have given you the job in the first place," Jennifer said with amusement.

"I've always reasoned that was Carol's doin'," John said knowingly.

"Well, perhaps in part, but you wouldn't have kept it this long if he didn't have faith in you either," Jennifer said. "Anyhow, I'd better get upstairs. Nice seeing you again, Mitch, see you later, John."

"Aye, welcome back, Professor," John said with a sigh, and Jennifer gave him one last smile before walking in.

She chuckled softly when she got to the stairs and saw which landings they had settled on, knowing she must have stopped too long at the gate to suit Severus. She almost wished in that moment that she still had her Headmaster's powers so she could have reached his level in just a few steps on her own, although admittedly she had begun to miss jumping the staircases. Grinning at that thought, Jennifer hurried up to the Headmaster's Study, unsurprised to find the door open and Severus working at his desk.

"Taking our time today, are we?" Severus frowned at her.

"Just tying up some loose ends, Professor," Jennifer said. "The children made me breakfast this morning and I dropped by to see Alicia and Michael on the way here. Oh, and I paused to have a small chat with John and Mitch at the gate. It sounds as if the Ministry still isn't interested in extending his range out of Scotland."

"Is that all that surprising, really?" Severus asked.

"Well, yes a bit, Severus, considering it only took my father a year and a half before they let him start to roam," Jennifer pointed out, Severus frowning at her again as she began to take it personal.

"Your father served actual time, Jennifer, it's hardly the same circumstances."

"Only because they knew they couldn't keep John in Azkaban even if they wanted to," Jennifer chuckled.

"Well, he still has five years before he can pay off his settlement with me, and until then, I'm not much inclined to speak on his behalf," Severus said, Jennifer slumping a bit. "Now, if you don't mind, Professor Craw, our conference?"

"Sorry, Professor," Jennifer said sheepishly, taking her seat.

"First off, you'll be happy to know I was able to finish clearing off that pen pal business with the board, including getting them to sign off on Haven Ridge and the Near Mint Academy in Myrkinbrek," Severus said, Jennifer beaming at him in response. "We will post sign-ups in all the common rooms, and Boulderdash and I have arranged a magic-run selection system… mostly based on the students interests and so on, but set up so that advisors or myself can step in and make changes if necessary, not that I see many instances coming up of needing to change it.

"I do need you to make a slight change to your agenda," Severus went on, Jennifer looking more intent. "We've had a bit of 'parental outrage' over the whole Oats Bane potion last year, according to the board," he explained, Jennifer sighing with exasperation. "Yes, well, you know how I stand on that issue, but there were some religious matters that came up in certain households, so I've made a compromise with the board that students may be excused from learning contraceptive potions by their parents for religious reasons. So, although I still want you to keep teaching it, you may need to work out some sort of comparable potion for self study for those who opt out of it."

"Right," Jennifer said with a sigh, getting out a small notebook and scribbling something down.

"Let's see…the only staff change you know about already…oh, and don't be surprised if you see Rose Willowby here on the weekends. She's coming in for a few hours on Saturdays as an assistant to Pomona, strictly volunteer," Severus said, Jennifer gazing at him thoughtfully.

"Can't talk her into retiring early?" Jennifer asked.

"Jennifer, she's still a capable enough teacher, as you well know, and her magic hasn't wavered with age, she simply has trouble getting around. If she wants to keep working, I'm hardly going to stop her when I've seen no reason from test scores, class work, or discipline that would warrant me getting involved. She'll retire when she's ready," Severus said calmly. "Rose and Sally will make sure she doesn't overdo it, after all, and I've even given her another detention shift so she doesn't have to worry about pulling weeds the rest of the year." Jennifer smirked at that. "Anyhow, that's the only other change in staff. The property lines of Hogwarts have changed, as you know," he added, and Jennifer nodded. They had talked about Anna's project at length several times before. "Of course, the regular magic barriers have not. Other than some reinforcement on the forest side of the fields, the Popcorn Farm is to remain non-magic. That may cause some problems in the security department, however… I have some basic measures already in place," he said, digging through the papers in front of him before handing her a list. "Sirius has also offered some suggestions as well, but I assume you'll want to make some of your own as security officer. I suggest you arrange to meet with he and Anna as soon as you can get away from the lab to go over it."

"Right," Jennifer sighed, making another note, wondering how she was going to get that in.

"Oh, and um… one last thing. It's your turn to organize OWLS and NEWTS this year." Jennifer looked up and blinked. "So you might want to plan ahead," he added evenly.

"What do you mean it's my turn?" Jennifer said aghast. "My turn isn't until next year!"

"Yes, I know, technically speaking, it would have been Hermione's turn, but we have changed teachers around, and also there is the matter of Fortuna taking her OWLS next year. I don't want either of us to be accused of student conflicts of interests again," Severus said firmly.

"We're in no danger whatsoever of Lucky acing her OWLS," Jennifer said with exasperation. "If anyone would do it, Ambrose would."

"True enough, although I don't want you taking the heat for that either. Therefore, you'll be doing OWLS and NEWTS this year and Hermione will do next year's," Severus said.

"Lovely," Jennifer said dryly. "If I didn't know better, I'd wonder if part of the reason you're giving me this year is to try and keep me out of trouble."

"Well, yes, there is that," Severus agreed.

"I suppose that means you're not going to want to hear about a research idea I had for this year then," Jennifer said, glancing at one of the glass cabinets thoughtfully and then turned back to find Severus squinting at her.

"A school project?" Severus asked suspiciously.

"Well, sort of. Educational research of a sort, yes," Jennifer said in such a way that Severus already didn't like where it was going. "In fact, it's something you yourself are always talking about, Professor."

"Yes?" Severus said warily.

"Yes, actually, because I'd like to do an experiment proving how free will can change a person's fate," Jennifer said, Severus blinking at her in surprise. "Of course, I'll extensively study both sides of it to some extent, but I think there's a fairly easy way to prove it once I get hold of the materials I need…"

"Care to explain to me this 'fairly easy way' of yours?" Severus interrupted.

"Oh, um… well, it involves my borrowing a particular research tool, actually," Jennifer began, Severus' expression quickly changing, revealing to Jennifer that he had guessed it before she even asked. "I was thinking I could use Hufflepuff's Obol to do it… in a controlled environment of course… if you'd let me borrow it."

"Jennifer, need I remind you exactly how much havoc that thing caused the last time it was used?" Severus said flatly.

"Now, that was by students, Severus, and hardly in any sort of controlled environment, and you very well know it," Jennifer pointed out.

"Except when I used it," Severus murmured. "Showing me two futures at once."

"Both of which came true, so hardly an argument for free will vs. fate," Jennifer argued. "But as I understand it, from both you and Aurelius, at no time did anyone actually try going against the coin, because the future shown was too compelling. I want to see if I can't successfully go against it."

Severus leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together in contemplation for a long time, and Jennifer was aware of an endless stream of memories going through Severus' head of things that happened to him and of all the times he had contemplating doing just what she now proposed.

"We are going to need to lay down some serious rules and safety measure beforehand if you're to attempt this, Jennifer," Severus warned.

"Understood," Jennifer said trying to hide a smile when she realized he was going to let her do it.

"I also want to be informed of any future event you see that is so compelling that you feel you can't go against it, and that you'll alert me if any dangerous events appear at all, and of course it must be done on weekends where there's no pressing business… and that's just the beginning of what will need to be done if you are to do this. And I want a list of possible questions you would ask it, and I suggest they not be in any way personal questions about you, family members, or myself. I expect you to keep this as professional as possible," Severus said.

"Of course, Professor," Jennifer agreed.

"Fine, we'll discuss it later then when we have both more time to get into the details," Severus decided, glancing at the scrolling appointment book. "Perhaps you might also consider having dinner with your husband as well tonight, unless you plan to get onto the potion lists straight away?" Jennifer smiled at him.

"I'll just work on finding an alternate potion for this compromise of yours then, that should easily leave me time for dinner. The hospital list and inventory can wait a day," she decided, the quill scratching on the appointment book again. As Jennifer turned, she happened to glance at it, noticing that the scroll had decided to give him the entire night off. "Rather long dinner. I hope you're not going overboard again," Jennifer mused.

"Why, is there a reason why I should?" he said expressionlessly, while Jennifer simply shook her head at him.

"Well, Sagittari was going to give me a birthday reading tonight as part of my research, so you're going to have to wait an extra hour if you're up to something," Jennifer warned him, the quill immediately adjusting it.

"Birthday? Maybe that's why the date looked familiar," Severus mused with a shrug. Jennifer smiled and shook her head at him again, kissing him lovingly before walking out of the room, leaving the door open for his next conference.

* * *

Jennifer wandered out onto the grounds, having to pause few moments for her eyes to adjust before finally spotting Sagittari standing in the field as far away from the obstacles as he could get. She smiled and wandered over to him, glancing around thoughtfully. At least with only staff in the castle, the light from the castle and its reflection off the lake was quite dim, and little sound could be heard other than the distant warbles of creatures in the Dark Forest and the soft lapping of water.

"Is this good enough? We could always try the Astrology Tower if you could manage it," Jennifer suggested quietly.

"Manage it yes, but I am more comfortable here, with my hooves under the earth as I attempt to connect to the sky… such artificial towers seem less real to me," Sagittari said quietly. "On Crete, the Constellation is held high on the top of a peak in the White Mountains, and during the night the sky dominates everything… but during the day, it is the land alone that seems to reign, complex and serene, with deep gorges filled with shadow plunging towards the sea and wild goats wandering the land, while most humans, nestled in their valleys and around the sea, seem but a small yet integral part of it all. I never get the feeling of being overrun there."

"Does that mean you feel that way here?" Jennifer asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, at times," Sagittari admitted with a nod, glancing at the castle. "True enough that our territory is partially protected by the influence of wizards, which is why the alliance between your people and the constellation here has lasted for so long. But even so, the Dark Forest is slowly shrinking in places, and its denizens are changing; tamer, less threatening… and although it may ease the conscious of the constellation, the wizards, and yes even myself… knowing that there's one less Bogwight in the world," he said with such venom that Jennifer looked down a moment. "There will come a day far in the future when the lack of such dangers will be its undoing and the forest will fade into nothing but a memory."

"Now, I don't think that will happen," Jennifer said with a shake of the head, touching his side comfortingly. "Especially now that we've secured even more of a border with the school, and you know Hogwarts will always do what it can to help preserve it."

"There have been several times even since you have been here that point has been debatable, Jennifer," Sagittari pointed out, Jennifer growing somber. "And although I trust in this, there is no guarantee other Headmasters will feel the same, let alone the wizard community in general. Consider, Jennifer, that if any other student in this school but my daughter had died last year of a Bogwight attack, how little time it would have taken for your school board, public at large, and even perhaps the Ministry to have not only condemned the forest for the mishap but demanded that 'something was done' to insure it wouldn't happen again. By now the forest already would have been a different place."

Jennifer nodded slowly at that, realizing he was probably right. No matter how the school fought it, it would have had more reaching consequences. Jennifer then began to wonder if she shouldn't have been more offended by the fact that there had been no outrage at all by anyone, even if it was in the forest's best interests. Jennifer sighed softly to herself, shaking her head. Sagittari, however, had already turned his attention to the stars, studying them for a moment before he frowned.

"Strange," he said, Jennifer glancing over at him again. "The stars speak little of you."

"What?" Jennifer said with surprise. "But being my Reading Day, shouldn't they all be a part of it?"

"Yes, the whole of the stars influences, and yet it would appear your stars are influencing members of your family and friends more than they are about you for some reason," Sagittari said. "Leo speaks of one thing in your future, however, Jennifer. The stars believe you have many choices ahead of you this year; many perilous choices."

"Oh, yes, I knew that already, actually," Jennifer admitted. "Anything else?"

"No," Sagittari said quietly. "Your stars speak only of others."

"Even the falling stars?" Jennifer said, gazing over at where she had just seen a meteor pass out of the corner of her eye. "And isn't that Mars over there?"

"Yes, but right now Perseus represents your son Aurelius… the master of the Gorgon," Sagittari explained. "He will bear a great burden he was not meant to bear… a burden of war." Jennifer frowned in confusion, gazing at it. Sagitarri smiled thinly. "I sympathize with him. The night the sky called me to take up the Spear of Lugh looked quite similar to this, only it was something I was meant to wield."

"Perhaps an artifact of some kind then?" Jennifer wondered, and Sagittari shrugged.

"Perhaps. It is hard to say for certain other than he will take on the burden of war," Sagittari said solemnly.

"That's very strange," Jennifer said with a frown. "I could see that easily when he's doing his normal job and chasing dark wizards all about the country, but he's going to be teaching this year."

"I would think that would make it more likely," Sagittari said with obvious amusement. "Has there ever been a year since you have taught that there hasn't been a battle of some sort that hasn't affected someone in the school?"

"Well, perhaps not many," Jennifer admitted sheepishly. "And not in several years, come to think of it."

"Is it all that surprising, really? It is not just because of the exemplary staff and hundreds of talented students, but all of their families; and to some extent all the families that have passed these halls before now. I would think a dull year would be an exception to the rule, and I believe the stars tonight show that this will not be one of them," Sagittari warned, Jennifer looking unenthusiastic about that. "It seems even young Fortuna is in for a rough year," he added, looking at another part of the sky altogether.

"Really?" Jennifer frowned with concern.

"Nothing too unsurprising, Jennifer. She is in for a period of great change that will affect her opposing strengths," Sagittari said, Jennifer following his gaze to where Venus hovered on the horizon. "I believe it is simply a sign that she is growing up, and I wouldn't be too surprised if that hidden talent of hers that Severus has been helping her to suppress finally breaks free at some point this year."

"It's not a talent so much as it's a curse," Jennifer said with a sigh, gazing at the sky thoughtfully. "I wonder if I tried to warn Severus about what's coming if he would listen."

"Has he learned nothing from last year?" Sagittari sighed.

"Not as far as fate is concerned, I'm afraid," Jennifer said quietly.

"Then perhaps you should just tell him as her doctor, I am concerned that puberty will make her talents less controllable, since that would certainly be the truth," Sagittari said.

"All right, Sagittari," Jennifer said with a nod, gazing at the stars again. But Sagittari was noticing something else among the stars that puzzled him. Having no explanation as to what it might mean, he decided to keep it to himself for now and keep an eye on it in case it decided to be persistent.

* * *

Jennifer wandered upstairs to meet Sally on the way down from her own conference, chatting a moment about the summer before continuing up to the Headmaster's Study to find Severus straightening his desk for the evening.

"Just in time, I see," Jennifer said with a smile as she walked in.

"For a change, yes," Severus said expressionlessly, quickly putting a note to himself on one of the papers in front of them before putting them in the drawer.

"Aren't you going to ask me how my reading went, or are you in the least bit interested?" Jennifer asked, sitting on the edge of the desk until he shooed her off of it.

"If only to keep you from worrying about anything that was said, yes," Severus said evenly.

"All right, Severus, come out of headmaster mode, you are on my time now," Jennifer clucked at him, wrapping her arms around him.

"This is your husband talking, I assure you, or must I remind you of that Tarot incident again?" Severus frowned.

"If only I had gotten that reading last year," Jennifer said dryly, then felt him tense up. "Ouch, that stung, didn't it? I'm sorry, Severus, I shouldn't have said that…" she said sincerely, moving to look at him, but he simply shook his head slightly. "Well, if it's any consolation, it seems that the stars were more interested in the children and the only thing it said about me was that I'd make many perilous choices this year."

"I could have told him that," Severus said quietly.

"Yes, I know, I said the same thing myself, actually," Jennifer chuckled. "He did seem convinced that Aurelius was going to have an exciting year, something about a burden of war, although neither of us know what that means yet…"

"Jennifer," Severus sighed. "You know all readings are kept vague so that they can mean positively anything. Everyone in the world makes perilous decisions all the time, you hardly need a premonition to tell you that. And as for Aurelius, he had been under a 'burden of war' because of his own choices even before he chose to become an Auror."

"Perhaps so, although he did say this burden wasn't something that Aurelius was meant to take… perhaps something he took on to save something else from it?" Jennifer mused.

"Also something he's been known to do," Severus said, getting up.

"Oh, and there was another thing," Jennifer went on, following him towards his sitting room. "He wanted to tell me that as Lucky's doctor, he's concerned about her likelihood of losing restraint over her magic this year. Raging hormones and all that…"

"Jennifer, don't you think after all these years of teaching I know what to expect?" Severus said but then sighed, leaning on the closet. "How has she been over the summer?"

"She's definitely well over the denial stage, she thinks about it all the more," Jennifer said, "the downside being that I don't think she's keeping up her journal and she's gotten even more distrusting of both her friends and her family."

"The distrust of her friends is because of Lyra's death," Severus sighed. "The family's is because of me."

"You did keep contact with her even after you left, Severus, I'm sure that didn't go unnoticed," Jennifer said gently. "And she hasn't completely clammed up. She does talk to Ben and Andrew some."

"She feels she has more in common with Ben and sees him everyday. Andrew, too, since he has taken over her forms," Severus mused. "They've been consistent towards her and haven't done anything unexpected and therefore probably the only people in her life that seem stable to her. Consistency… that is the key, I think."

"Something neither of us are known to be," Jennifer admitted with a sigh, and then paused. "You know, I'm not certain her sitting in a classroom with you is a good idea either, Severus." Severus looked over and squinted at her.

"Are you turning this into a professional discussion?" he asked flatly.

"No, Severus, this is mostly parental, I'm simply concerned about this consistency thing and the fact that you act entirely different in the classroom…"

"There is nothing wrong with the way I teach," Severus said defensively. "I simply prefer professionalism and discipline as opposed to calling students by their first names and serving continental breakfasts like you do!"

"Have you forgotten then what Alicia's first reaction was when she had to deal with Professor Snape?" Jennifer asked calmly, ignoring the bristling attitude completely.

"Yes, well, that was in Defense, and that was well over ten years ago. I'm hardly the same person I was then," Severus said irritably.

"That's true, but I wonder if you're the same teacher you were back then?" Jennifer asked.

"I'm hardly going to know any more than you are until I get in the classroom again, am I?" Severus retorted. "Anyhow, did you want to see your present before dinner, or not?"

"What, we're not eating here?" Jennifer said, curiously.

"No, actually, I have something else in mind… and no peeking," he protested, and Jennifer pushed her glasses up with a smile. He nodded curtly at her before opening the closet and pulling out a forest green dress.

"Why Severus!" Jennifer said in surprise. "I don't think you've ever actually bought me a dress before, you've always simply paid for them," she added with a grin.

"Yes, well, I did have assistance from both Ashley and Fleur, who both contributed to the design since I did want to find something you were willing to wear, although I admit I made my own contribution as well," Severus said.

Squinting suspiciously, Jennifer took the dress and turned it over to the back, half expecting to find buttons running down the length of it only to see three modest buttons.

"Hm," Jennifer said, but noticed the sinister smile on Severus' face. "Dare I ask how you contributed?"

"You could always try putting it on," Severus suggested. "I didn't buy it for you to simply gawk at, you know, I bought it for you to wear."

"Fine," Jennifer sighed at him with exasperation, taking it into the bedroom, while Severus simply waited by the closet with the same unnerving smile on his face. It wasn't until she began putting it on that she got a better look at it and noticed the long strand of tiny black buttons dropping from under the sleeve all the way down to the hips on either side of the dress, partially hidden by folds in the material. "Severus!" Jennifer said, gawking at them in horror.

"Problem?" Severus asked innocently.

"Don't you give me that! You are absolutely insidious," Jennifer said with exasperation. "I hope you don't think for a moment I am going to wear this dress to any formal function, school or otherwise."

"Nonsense, it's a very conservative dress, at least compared to what you were wearing during the benefit," Severus said evenly.

"Oh, I see how it is! This is your way of getting even, isn't it?" Jennifer said, slipping it on despite her better judgment.

"Yes," Severus said simply.

"Fine, I will wear it now, but if you ever think you'll talk me into wearing this in public, you have another thing coming," Jennifer said coming back out and gazing at him accusingly, more than a bit unnerved by the fact he had the same fixed expression on his face. "You won't, I promise. I don't trust you," Jennifer added for good measure. Severus gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment.

"It's probably for the best," he decided, and Jennifer shook her head, reluctantly taking the offered arm. She was only slightly surprised to find him stopping at her office, but then was more then much more surprised when he continued onto the Perch, breaking out into a smile when she saw he had 'borrowed' a table and her breakfast cart from the Potion Lab and had set it up with some stools near the parapets.

"This is fantastic! We can even see the meteor showers clearly from here!" Jennifer said with appreciation. "What a splendid idea!"

"Yes, and maybe I can use the time to convince you that stars are better simply to look at than try to tell the future with," Severus said with a disapproving but teasing frown. "In fact, I'm quite sure I could predict a much more accurate future for your evening than those stars could ever tell you, Jennifer."

"Only because you know you'll be doing your best to carry it out, Severus," Jennifer said, shaking her head at him.

"Yes, that's the entire point, actually," Severus said expressionlessly, helping her into her seat, smirking slightly as he sat down when she paused to check her buttons.


	9. Numbers, Letters, and Runes

Chapter Nine

Numbers, Letters, and Runes

Lucky hopped onto the train with one last wave towards Ben, who was too busy attempting to get the fascinated Janus to say 'train' to really notice. She shrugged it off and started looking through the compartments with a bag in one hand and Houdini's cage in the other, until she noticed an unusual amount of girl students gathered in the doorway of one of the compartments. She scowled, knowing before she went past the car that Dale was most likely in there. But as she somehow managed to shuffle past the back of the group, she heard her name called and saw red hair up ahead, quickly working her way to where Connie, Helena, and Pimra were saving her a seat. Quickly, Connie pulled her in and slammed the compartment door with such a worried look on her face that Lucky paused, glancing at Helena and Pimra who also looked concerned.

"What?" Lucky asked.

"How are you holding up, Lucky?" Connie asked, sitting back down. "We heard about Dale." Lucky frowned, glancing at the door and back again.

"He seemed okay to me a moment ago," Lucky said.

"She means about what all the Muggle papers and magazines are saying about Dale's new girlfriend," Helena explained. Lucky stared at her. "What happened, did you two fight or something?"

"What? I don't care about what Dale does, we're just friends!" Lucky protested. "I hope he _is_ seein' somebody, it'll keep him off my case! Who is it anyhow? Lindsay?"

"She wishes," Connie snorted, pulling out a teen magazine and flipping it open. The article had been read so often that it had automatically turned to the right page as she handed it to Lucky. "Look for yourself," she said with a sigh, and Lucky glanced at the article headline of _Dale Scores with Duffy at Galaxy Game_.

"Oh, it's just her," Lucky snorted. "She's nuthin'."

"Nothing? Are you crazy? She's even more popular than Second Chance, she even bumped their album down to second over the summer!" Connie said.

"Only in Muggle circles," Pimra put in. "Second Chance is still number one on our charts."

"Yes, that's true, she's a Muggle for sure," Helena agreed.

"Yeah, I know. I met her, and I know she's nuthin' to Dale either. It's just somebody his father put up for publicity," Lucky assured them. The three girls gazed at her skeptically. "I can prove it, too! I was at that game. See? That's my elbow!" The three girls peered over with interest at the elbow at the other side of him and even insisted she pull up to sleeve so they could compare it. "What, you don't trust me? Just ask Dale, or Jackie or Alicia since they're who took me."

"Why would he have you along on a date with Duffy?" Helena asked.

"It wasn't a date! It was a publicity stunt!" Lucky said with exasperation.

"Then how come all the interviews with Dale lately has him admitting that they're going out?" Helena asked, glancing at a newspaper.

"Gimme that!" Lucky scowled, snatching the newspaper out of Helena's hands. "This ain't a paper, _chica,_ this is just _the Sun,_ it's trash. You can't rely on that. Besides, it's probably just his father's doin' again. So let's just drop it, okay?" she snapped, carefully putting Houdini away.

The other girls shrugged and started fiddling with their own carryons, looking for something to preoccupy themselves with as they pulled out of the station. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Laura slid it open, looking in.

"There you are! Just thought I'd say hello! I've been sitting with Dale, Bobby and Gary and I needed a breather, it's been crazy in there," Laura said with exasperation. "Everyone keeps asking about that Duffy Dakota thing."

"Gimme a break!" Lucky groaned.

"We were just talking about that," Connie put in. "Lucky thinks it's just a publicity stunt of some kind. Is it?"

"A publicity stunt?" Laura said thoughtfully, but then shrugged. "I don't know really, he just kept telling everyone that it wasn't anybody's business who he's dating, and even if he was seeing her, he wasn't the sort who would kiss and tell." Lucky blinked.

"Sorry, Lucky, sounds like this time the paper's right," Pimra said sympathetically.

"He's not seeing her!" Lucky said firmly.

"Well, he never said he was seeing her, that's true, but it sure sounded like he was," Laura admitted apologetically.

"Fine! Believe whatever ya want, it's not like I care anyhow," Lucky snapped, and then pulled out her Arithmantics book to look over.

"Well, I'd better be getting back, I want to catch the trolley on the way through," Laura said, waving and working back to her spot. Lucky sighed in annoyance and decided to pretend to ignore everyone while the other girls quickly changed the subject.

"So what electives did you take this year?" Helena asked Pimra.

"My grandfather is making me take Ancient Magic," Pimra sighed. "And I'm taking Muggle Studies and Divination to get them over with."

"Great, me too! Maybe we'll have some of the same classes then!" Helena said enthusiastically. "Though I'm not taking Ancient Magic, just the other two."

"Nobody in their right mind would take that course if they had a choice," Lucky snorted. "The Professor's teachin' it."

"Not surprising, really, considering he's the only one in the school qualified to teach it," Pimra pointed out. "Really, though, is it all that bad?"

"Haven't your parents ever told you any horror stories of how Snape taught when they were going to school?" Connie asked. "He wasn't exactly a popular teacher."

"Yes, but he supposedly got better at the end from what Joanie's told us, so maybe it won't be all that bad," Helena put in.

"Well, I'm glad I didn't take it," Lucky said emphatically.

"Why, what do you have?" Connie asked.

"Tangent for three classes, then that dumb Magical Creatures thing they're makin' me take because of last year," Lucky explained.

"Tangent three times?" Connie gawked at her. "You're taking three math classes?"

"Two, but I took Ancient Runes too figurin' I could get another good mark in," Lucky explained.

"Uh, oh, Lucky, didn't anyone in your family tell you that Tangent wasn't teaching Runes this year?" Pimra said with a frown.

"Huh? Tangent's always taught that course, it's the only reason I took it," Lucky said, but Pimra shook her head somberly.

"Grandfather says Professor Snape is teaching that as well. In fact, I'd have ended up taking it too if Mum hadn't intervened," Pimra said.

"What! But I'd never have taken it if I thought he was teaching it!" Lucky shouted jumping up.

"Not good, Lucky, I'd talk to Aunt Hermione about getting you out of that class first thing in the morning if I were you," Connie warned her. "It'll be harder to drop it later."

"I am definitely droppin' it, too, there ain't no way I want to be in the same classroom with him. Bad enough havin' to have Jackie for Potions two more years," Lucky said.

"I thought you always liked that class, Lucky," Helena said.

"Formulas and coffee, _si._ Labs and preparation, no," Lucky said, plopping back down in an even worse mood than before. "Man, what else could go wrong?"

"Did you happen to hear that Laura and Dale made prefect?" Pimra added, deciding to get it over with while Connie and Helena gave her a dark look. "They're only sitting up front today because Dale wanted to sit with the March brothers."

"I hate overachievers!" Lucky shouted and began muttering in Spanish. Helena nodded in agreement, while the other two remained quiet and didn't say a thing when she broke out in mutters during the rest of the trip.

Had that not been bad enough, Reggie, it seemed, had noticed Lucky's foul mood from the moment she got off the train, and rather than follow the rest of the Gryffindors' lead and giving her a wide berth went out of his way to taunt her mercilessly.

"What's wrong, Lucky, did your star boyfriend finally get the hint?" Reggie said as they walked to the coaches. "That's fame and fortune for you… it'll corrupt anybody after awhile. He's living the high life with the best of everything and surrounded by tall thin California girls, not that I blame him, really, can you? Let's face it, you're better off without that sort of chap, you need someone down to earth, more right for a slightly pudgy little tomboy of a girl…"

Reggie, who was well aware of her temper, had not, however, developed the expertise that Dale had dodging her violent streaks and immediately found himself flat in the mud and holding his hands over his left eye while Connie and Helena tried with limited success to back Lucky off.

"What is it with you? Why do you always lead off with your fists? At least have the decency to pull a wand so I can defend myself," Reggie said.

"What's the matter, can't fight without a stick in your hands?" Lucky asked vehemently, ignoring the fact that the area was quickly getting surrounded by students, and the prefects including Laura and Dale were trying to push their way past.

"I'm not going to hit a girl! Besides, I didn't mean that, I was just teasing…"

"If you call me pudgy again, I'm gonna knock your teeth out!" Lucky snapped.

"You didn't waste any time, did you?" Dale snorted at Reggie, trying to get a look at his eye.

"Lucky! Come on, Lucky, time to cool it, this is not any way to start the first day of the school year, and your parents are going to hit the roof as it is when they hear about it," Laura said.

"No… I don't want her getting into trouble over this. I was out of line, so let's just forget it," Reggie insisted.

"Easy enough to say until you get in to the Great Hall and someone gets a look at that shiner," Brittany sighed at him. "Come on, let's get to the coaches, all right? We'll respect their wishes and not say anything for now. Hopefully with the Sorting Ceremony going on there will be enough of a distraction. Come on, Reggie, sit in my coach so I can take a look at that eye."

"We'll take this one," Laura volunteered, Brittany simply nodding in return, while Reggie suddenly seemed quite pleased with the current turn of events for some reason. Dale simply shook his head at him and climbed in behind Laura, Connie jumping in behind them. "Really, Lucky! Couldn't it have at least waited a couple of days before you got into trouble again?"

"He started it!" Lucky complained.

"He did start it," Connie agreed. "He was calling her names and stuff."

"What exactly did he say that got you worked up, Lucky?" Dale asked.

"Nuthin'," Lucky muttered. Dale looked over at Connie, who suddenly became fascinated with watching the lights of the boats on the lake.

"Why do I get the feeling it's going to be a really long year?" Laura sighed.

"You can say that again," Lucky said dryly.

* * *

When they arrived, Ambrose and Lindsay were both hanging out just outside of the Great Hall with Bobby and Gary already having run ahead to try and get them caught up on what had happened. Lucky scowled when they grew quiet when they approached.

"You all right, Lucky?" Ambrose asked worriedly.

"Sure, fine, let's just not talk about it, okay?"

"Well, not right now, at least, let's talk about it in the Owl Room after dinner," Ambrose suggested. "Boulderdash will have our schedules, of course. I hope we have more classes together this year, Lucky!"

"Don't count on it," Lucky recommended as they walked into the hall and took their places. Brittany had made certain that Reggie was surrounded by other seventh years by the time they had gotten there and as far away from the staff table as possible, and Connie helpfully found a seat closer to the other end of the table.

"This way we can scope out the new Gryffindors, we do need one more this year," Connie said conversationally, despite the fact that Lucky was eyeing her knowing full well she was just using it as an excuse. A moment later Gary sat down across from them.

"Well, they did a great job covering it up, didn't they?" Gary said, leaning over the table. "A'course it'll be worse in the morning. Well done, Lucky, you wouldn't believe how many times I wanted to hit the bloke, but he's so much bigger than me…"

"Hush, would you stop talking about it?" Connie hissed as the staff began to wander in and stand beside their seats.

Lucky looked up to see the Professor come in with Craw on his arm, the two of them conversing with Weasley who came in carrying the Sorting Hat. After a moment, Weasley excused herself and put the Hat on the stool before walking up the aisle next to the Gryffindor table, many of the students waiting nervously for her to pass, especially when she stopped a moment to greet the prefects before continuing on. Almost as one they seemed to breath a sigh of relief as she passed by. The Headmaster squinted, wondering what was going on, but was pulled into another conversation as Professor Scribe had stopped to ask him something.

"Looks like it's going to be your lucky day, Lucky," Connie said with a grin as she glanced around and noticed that all the other students had settled into place. "We should be starting soon."

"Ack!" Gary said in horror. "What's he still doing here?" Lucky glanced up to see Aurelius coming in the main doors, closing it behind him.

"Oh, he's teachin' Defense this year," Lucky said unconcernedly.

"You realize if he comes down this aisle you're sunk, don't you, Lucky?" Gary hissed at her. Apparently the seventh years had realized it too, for as Aurelius strode by they all huddled against the table or bowed their heads or covered them with their hands so obviously so that Aurelius couldn't help but slow down, wondering what was going on. His eyes darted up towards Craw, who shrugged unknowingly, and then he decided to slow even further until finally he stopped at the end of the table to see Gary and Connie doing everything in their power to hide their faces while Lucky simply stared at him straight on. Aurelius sighed with exasperation.

"I should have known," he murmured in annoyance. "I think you had better meet me in my office first thing tomorrow morning, Miss Snape, unless you want to take this to a higher level," he added in warning.

"Will there be coffee?" Lucky asked.

"The last thing you need is more caffeine. Don't be late, or I will be taking it upstairs, is that understood?"

"Ya," Lucky said evenly, the three of them watching as he walked away before Gary made drew his thumb across his neck pointedly.

"Don't worry, he wouldn't kill relation. I think," Connie murmured in a low voice, while Lucky's eyes were busy following him to the table. But when the Headmaster questioned him, he simply shrugged and said something quietly back, and Lucky quickly turned to Connie as if in conversation with her when Craw gazed at them curiously.

Lucky hadn't remembered there being so many students to be Sorted before. In fact, she was so anxious to get out of there she barely even acknowledged the first years at all. Gary and Connie had made a more heartfelt effort to find out at least who some of them were in case they knew any of their parents or siblings. True, there were a fair number of Muggleborn too, but most of them were staring at the ceiling or gawking at the teachers or even too busy marveling over how the cups refilled themselves to have any sort of decent conversation with any of them anyhow. Over at the Hufflepuff table, Ambrose seemed to be chatting up a storm with a few of them, apparently having known some of them from Hogsmeade. Lucky suddenly found herself missing the closeness she and Bill had had their first year at school, and spent the rest of the dinner wondering if she'd get that back after their falling out the year before.

As the feast came to the end and the others began to work their way to the dorms, Connie, Gary and Lucky hurried to the library, soon running into Helena and Pimra and chatting casually with each other until dutifully falling silent as they hit the library door, knowing that Librarian Boulderdash would likely give them an earful in the Owl Room if they were heard. Bobby, Lindsay, Ambrose and Winnie were not long behind them as they took their seats, automatically going to the same ones they had gotten the year before.

"Laura and Dale will be a few minutes late. They had to show the first years upstairs and all that," Pimra said.

"I wonder how much that's going to cut down on their time this year," Ambrose mused, waving at Beth, Veronica and Dirk as they followed up the rear.

"Well, I know Laura cut back on her classes this year to help compensate," Lindsay said.

"Dale said something about cutting back too," Bobby nodded. "But he was pretty torn as to what he was going to drop."

"He was talking about dropping the newspaper and choir earlier," Pimra put in.

"Really? I bet Professor Scribe's going to hate to hear that," Ambrose grinned.

They looked up as their goblin advisor came in, busy juggling a stack of papers with a stack of envelopes.

"Good evening," Boulderdash said, putting the stack of envelopes on his work desk momentarily. "Mind if I go ahead and start passing out schedules while we're waiting for everyone to arrive, since we've only limited time this evening?" he asked, and began to do so. "Mr. Atchison… Mr. Bailey…"

Ambrose eagerly looked over his schedule as Boulderdash went around the table, tossing Dale and Laura's at their places when he got to them. Lucky took hers with a sigh, frowning deeply when she saw the name, "Snape" by her Ancient Artifacts entry.

"Man, I need to drop a class. I don't suppose you can authorize that?" Lucky asked. Boulderdash paused thoughtfully.

"I have no idea," he admitted. "But I'll help you set up an appointment with your house advisor in the morning if you'd like, Miss Snape."

"Don't forget you have to go to Professor Aurelius' in the morning too, Lucky," Connie reminded her. Lucky gave her a dirty look.

"Yeah, good job getting in trouble already, Lucky," Gary said with a supportive grin. "Hope you didn't cost us too many points, though."

"It's gonna be double the amount if you keep talkin'," Lucky snapped at him, waving her fist.

"I hardly think that sort of persuasion is necessary, Miss Snape, and definitely not in here," Boulderdash warned with a sneer. "Although a more appropriate environment might be arranged if required. Would it be too much to ask just how you managed to get in trouble already?" Lucky shrugged, but Connie gazed between them before turning to the goblin.

"It wasn't her fault, really. My cousin was mouthing off to her. If you ask me, he deserved to get punched," Connie said supportively.

"Hm, well, you know that I have no qualms about acting in self defense," Boulderdash said, handing Connie and Helena their schedules. "Although she should have probably picked a more appropriate weapon."

"Which means what?" Helena asked.

"Meaning, you don't bring explosives into a knife fight," Boulderdash sneered. "When someone attacks with words, you should defend with them as well."

"That just makes them wanna fight more," Lucky argued. "At least if they're busy pulling out broken teeth outta their mouth, they can't talk back anymore."

"Well, there is that," Boulderdash admitted with a strange snarling chuckle as he went over to his desk. "I'll see if Professor Weasley is free at lunch."

"What class are you thinking of dropping, Lucky? Can I see your schedule?" Ambrose asked, pulling it over.

"Ancient Runes. I got enough to deal with having to take Magical Creatures and a second Arithmantics course this year," Lucky said.

"That and she doesn't want to sit class with the Headmaster," Gary snickered, earning another icy glare from Lucky.

"Really? That's one of the reasons I took that class, besides the fact Professor Scribe thought I should take it. I took Ancient Magic too," Ambrose said.

"Not me, no way," Lucky said emphatically, but Ambrose hadn't noticed. Instead, he was staring between their schedules with growing excitement.

"Wow, Lucky, look! We have nearly every major class together, all except for Herbology! Even one where I'm not with my normal class because of my Higher Divination course!" Ambrose said. "That's why we're in Transfiguration together!"

"I got switched on Potions because of Magical Theory," Lucky said. Connie blinked, peering over Lucky's other shoulder.

"Oh, great, I still have it with Slytherin… and without a Potions partner!" Constance scowled, while Lucky glanced at her, only partially sympathetic since in turn she was going to have Ambrose as hers. On her other side, Dirk gazed at Connie's schedule thoughtfully.

"Eh, we'll still have Herbology," Lucky said with a shrug, although it was obvious from Connie's expression that she would have preferred the other way around.

"Looks like we'll have Ancient Runes together too," Ambrose said. "At least that'll make it easier to study together."

"I'm dropping Runes, remember?" Lucky said firmly.

"Assuming they let you," Lindsay said.

"I think you should just take it," Ambrose suggested.

"I'm not taking it," Lucky said again.

Just then Dale came in, followed by Laura. She smiled warmly at them, proudly displaying on her collar the golden owl pin she had earned for having the most feathers the year before.

"Sorry we're late! Did we miss anything?" Laura asked.

"Not yet, we've just been looking at our schedules," Ambrose said as the two of them took their places and looked over theirs as well.

"I have something else for you tonight, if you don't mind," Boulderdash said, getting up once more and grabbing the envelopes.

"Our new goals?" Ambrose asked with a frown. "Because I didn't finish all mine."

"You'll find only the finished goals have been replaced, Mr. Bailey, but no, those are over there in your boxes underneath the Owl achievement board," Boulderdash said, nodding over at scroll case under the glass feather box, emptied and ready for the new year. "What I have here concerns your last years group goal, the pen pal service between schools."

"Professor Craw mentioned it upstairs," Laura beamed. "There was a sign up list, but she told us to come talk to you before signing up."

"That is because I happen to already have your pen pals' first letters in my hand, Miss Lupin," Boulderdash said with an enigmatic glint in his eyes, everyone breaking out in a murmur. "After all, it was because of Miss Glass and the rest of your efforts that this new cooperation exists, so the Headmaster arranged for you to have your pen pals assigned first. Miss Glass?" he said, handing an envelope out to Pimra, who smiled shyly back at him as she took it. "Now, don't be surprised that the schools these students came from is not included in these letters, although I imagine some of you will be able to tell from their names which school they might be from," he said, handing Lucky hers with such an amused look that she was certain he meant hers specifically for some reason. "Still, looks can be deceiving, too. It'll be interesting to see how things progress," he continued, handing one to Dirk.

"Why do I suspect that some of us who finished goals last year are going to get stuck with something like 'continued correspondence' or something," Dirk said dryly, glancing at the envelope.

"In some of your cases, I'd say it's a good guess," Boulderdash admitted with a sneer, handing one to Helena. "Don't worry about having to translate, that is already handled in the system. You'll find mailboxes in each of your common rooms and here…" he said, tapping a simply wooden box with a slit that was attached to his workbench. "When you are ready to write back. Magic will do the rest of the work; the Owl Service will get them to you from there. Yours, I believe, Mr. Robert March," he said, pausing to hand Bobby his. "Read them at your leisure, but I hope you remember that behind each of these letters is a very anxious student hoping that you'll respond and worried that you won't. As for finishing your goal, you may find when you get up in the morning that each of your Owl armbands has a colored bar on them, signifying that you finished one of your group goals, along with a small parcel, although I imagine you know not to make too big of deal out of that. Now, Mr. Bailey, a brief meeting, if you please, since everyone really needs to get back upstairs or downstairs to their dorm rooms to rest up before their first day."

"Yes, Mr. Boulderdash," Ambrose said. "There are only a couple of things I wanted to touch on tonight. First, obviously, we should be thinking of coming up for a new group Owl Goal for the year, and second, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor both need a fourth," he said, glancing at where Connie, Gary and Lucky were all gazing at him with somber expressions. "I know last year out of respect we left that spot open, but it's a new year, and it's time we moved on. And, perhaps being a new year and all, we can find a forth Hufflepuff that either nobody's going to fight over or we can come to an agreement on," he said, glancing at Lindsay.

"I still think we should invite Delia," Lindsay said.

"Let's not get into that again," Connie sighed.

"She's a total pain in the ass," Lucky agreed.

"She's really not that bad once you get to know her," Winifred said quietly. "And she could use some friends."

"Let's not be naïve, please," Dirk sighed. "She only wants in here so she can get dirt on us. We really don't need that sort of riff raff in here."

"Hang on a moment. The whole reason this group came to exist in the first place was because there are a lot of us students who don't really conform in some way or another to our houses and all of that," Ambrose said. "I'd say that's Delia in a nutshell, wouldn't you?"

"I'm sorry, Ambrose, but this time I agree with Dirk," Connie said. "You can't let her in here. She'll do nothing but try and cause us trouble!"

"Ya, I think you should just give up and try somebody else, 'cuz we're not changing our minds," Lucky said.

"Everyone deserves a chance, Lucky," Ambrose said, but simply earned a dirty look. "But all right, we won't get into it for now. Any ideas on who you might like as your fourth Gryffindor?"

"Well," Connie hesitated, glancing at Lucky. "Before what happened earlier, I was thinking it'd be nice to invite Reggie, actually."

"What!" Lucky said, scowling at her. "Oh come on, haven't any of you got any sense? First the queen of gossip is mentioned, now the king of fools? We don't need that kinda person in the order, we need good people! The last thing we need is some loud mouthed bully in here!" Lucky was suddenly aware that everyone else at the table was staring at her critically. "What?" Lucky asked defensively.

"I think we should probably call it a night," Ambrose said quickly. "We'll meet again Saturday afternoon once everyone's settled in so we can set up study groups and try to get those seats filled."

"Make sure you walk back to your rooms in house groups. You're less likely to be questioned being out late that way," Boulderdash suggested as they started to get up, some of them going over to their goal boxes.

"Do you want me to get yours?" Connie asked Lucky.

"Nah, it can wait a day," Lucky shrugged, using the time while Connie went to get hers to take a peek at the carefully blocked letter she had gotten from her pen pal and glanced at the name at the bottom. Smirking slightly, she glanced over at Boulderdash, who returned it before sitting back down at his worktable.

"I got a goblin," Lucky had told Connie once they got up to their dorm room.

"Really? Are you sure?" Connie asked, finally folding up her goals to grab her own envelope.

"Well, how many humans do you know have a name like Eyecleaver?" Lucky snorted, then glanced over the note again and smirked. "Think he'd let me call him Ike for short?"

"You would," Connie said, shaking her head at her before opening up her own letter and glancing at the bottom. "My pen pal is named Kim Scott. She could be from anywhere, I suppose… no, she mentions she's at a school 'famous for its gardens.' Do you know what school is famous for its gardens?" she asked, but Lucky simply shrugged.

"Mine is asking what my assets are like," Lucky said.

"Do you have assets?" Connie chuckled before putting hers on her nightstand and getting ready for bed. "Maybe just having the name of Snape counts," Connie teased.

"Oh ya? Then why do I think that's not gonna save me from whatever it is that's gonna happen tomorrow," Lucky said, simply kicking off her shoes and socks before putting the note aside and staring at the ceiling.


	10. Back In Class

Chapter Ten

Back in Class

Much too bright and much too early, Lucky found herself trudging into the Defense office, glumly looking over the simple selection of plain raisin scones and juice.

"At least you have the sense to get here on your own accord, I see," Aurelius said when she got settled, shutting the door and walking over to his desk. "I happened to stroll through the Great Hall on the way here. That spell Reggie's using may be able to hide color but it certainly doesn't hide the swelling, although I imagine that'll be pointed out to him by Andrew soon enough… for your sake, I hope he has Transfiguration before Potions," Aurelius said dryly, Lucky gazing at him fixedly in response. "Father and Mum may look the other way at home when you get like this, Lucky, but you know as well as I do that won't happen here at the school. One of these days, you're going to deck the wrong person and they'll either come at you with a wand, or worse, they'll file charges, and then you won't only have yourself in hot water but all of us as well. We need to find some sort of better outlet for you. Father, I think, was hoping that sparring would help, but it doesn't, does it? It's just another area you feel restrained in?"

"I just don't like it, that's all," Lucky shrugged. Aurelius sighed silently, knowing he wasn't going to get too far with her on the defensive. "Besides, ain't the whole point of sparrin' is that I got the right to defend myself?"

"What were you defending yourself against, Lucky? The insult or the fact he was flirting with you?" Aurelius asked bluntly, getting an icy stare in response. "Either way, there are better ways of handling it. I mean, really, you have the wickedest tongue in the school next to the Coventry twins. If you'd only just learn when to use it and when not to use it, I think it'd be more effective than hitting someone. If you don't, I guarantee you that you're going to be in for a very long year. It's time you started asking yourself why you insist on using this hitting method of yours to communicate."

"You know why," Lucky said with a shrug.

"Yes, maybe I do," Aurelius said evenly. "But I really don't think you do."

* * *

Double Herbology was never fun, especially when Lucky, Connie, and Gary found themselves spending most of that time harvesting Professor Sprout's outdoor herbs, most of which had to be done by hand to prevent bruising. Lucky came out of it with overly dry hands and a creak in her back, quite grumpy by the time they made their way inside. The only good news was that she had gotten a note saying that Professor Weasley had left her lunch open for her, and Lucky found once she got up to the Deputy Headmaster's office that much better fare awaited her there, with all sorts of sandwiches to choose from and pretzels and apple chips to gnaw on and lemonade to drink.

"I hope you like the lemonade. Professor Craw and I have been working on a new artificial sweetener lately. I had students complaining about my last one," Professor Weasley chuckled to herself.

"I wouldn't have known it until you mentioned it," Lucky admitted, and Weasley beamed at her happily.

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about? Librarian Boulderdash said you had a question about one of your classes?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was wondering if I could drop one. I got a heavy schedule this year," Lucky explained.

"That's true, you have… of course you were asked to take Magical Creatures this year, I know," Weasley said thoughtfully, glancing at her schedule. "Still, are you sure you don't want to try it? I mean, if you get Magical Theory out of the way this year, then you won't necessarily need Arithmantics next year even if you do major in it, and that'll free you up plenty of time so you can concentrate on your main subjects and getting your OWLS up. Doesn't hurt to look ahead, you know."

"I don't want to drop Theory. I want to drop Ancient Runes," Lucky said. Weasley stared at her for a long time.

"Oh," she said.

"It's not like I need it for anything! I only took it because Tangent was supposed to teach it!"

"Yes, I rather suspected as much," Weasley said with a sigh. "Rather ironic, I suppose, considering one of the reasons he decided to drop the course was so that he could develop another advanced Arithmantics class that you especially would benefit from down the line."

"That I will take," Lucky offered, Weasley gazing at her sympathetically.

"Well, as much as I understand you not wanting to take it now… and the point that you probably don't need it as an Arithmantics major… I'm afraid you can't drop a class without parental permission," she explained. Lucky groaned, then paused thoughtfully and shrugged.

"Well, Jackie might let me drop it, considerin' she commented on my schedule too…"

"And it's also a common courtesy to inform the Headmaster of such changes under certain circumstances," she went on, Lucky frowning again. "And I think he'd probably rake me over the coals if this one didn't pass his desk. You know, you're right in that from her parent perspective that Professor Craw might okay it, but… well… your parents personal relationship and their professional relationship don't always gel so good when they try to mix them. And you can bet that Professor Snape will be taking this one as a professional affront."

"Fine, I'll take the stupid course," Lucky muttered with annoyance, Weasley giving her another sympathetic smile before offering her another sandwich.

"Look, I know you must have heard a story or two on the Headmaster's teaching style, but it may not be anywhere as bad as you think. It's been ten years since he's been in the classroom, and I'm sure as long as you pay attention and follow instruction you won't have any problems," she said reassuringly.

"It's about not that," Lucky said, staring at her sandwich before finally taking a bite out of it. "Not exactly."

"What is it then?" Weasley asked curiously.

"I dunno. I'm not sure I can put it in a way anyone would understand," Lucky said after thinking about it a minute, concentrating on her sandwich. Weasley simply nodded, getting the feeling that it was probably just something that Lucky didn't feel she could relate with her personally. Of course, there was at least one person in the school who could, so the Deputy Headmaster decided to be content with the answer and wait to see how things played out.

* * *

It was after History, and the last class of the day, that Ambrose and Lucky made their way up to the third floor to an out-of-the-way classroom that had long been used for storage. It was clean now, but sparse, with little more than the desks and a mobile blackboard. Cathedral style windows of cracked glass looked out upon the lake, but they were all set opposite the student desks, probably to avoid any distractions.

It was a small class; forty students all told but all of differing years, each picking up the class at different points for different reasons, although Lucky couldn't see much of a point for most of them. Lucky frowned when Reggie Weasley came in with one of his seventh year mates, hesitating at the door until a murmur from his friend made him snap back a reply and the two of them took seats on the other side of the room. Lucky snorted softly to herself and sat down by Ambrose, who watched the exchange with thoughtful interest.

"This should be rather fun, actually, just think of all the ancient spellbooks and tomes that were written in some runic script or another," Ambrose whispered to Lucky.

"Ya, and most of them outdated or replaced," Lucky said with an obvious lack of enthusiasm.

"Or forgotten," Ambrose said back. "Think, Lucky, there are thousands of years behind us filled with magic, and yet in so many ways we keep making the same mistakes over and over… like allowing the likes of Voldemort to gain power and the like," he explained, flinching slightly when someone flicked his back.

"Do you mind?" Delia hissed. "Surely you oughtn't speak so readily of all of that!"

"Who let you in?" Lucky said crisply.

"My father recommended it to go along with Ancient Magic, of course. Most people I've spoken to are taking both, you know," Delia said. "Isn't that right, Ambrose?"

"Well, I don't know about most, but a few of us are," Ambrose agreed. "But I still think that part of the point of learning all of this is to keep from making the same mistakes as our predecessors have."

"This from the only boy in the entire school that thinks History is interesting," Delia snorted. "What's past is past, Ambrose, we are the real future."

"Then why are you here?" Lucky challenged her, despite the fact that in many ways she agreed with the girl.

"To be able to study under the Headmaster, what else?" Delia said, Lucky rolling her eyes and turning around. "Not to mention it rather looks good to have a well rounded education going into certain fields, like politics for example."

"Figures that's what you'd want to go into," Lucky snorted, shaking her head.

"And just what are you going into? Female boxing?" Delia said evenly back.

"If I do, you're gonna be the first to know," Lucky warned.

"Lucky… not now, don't forget whose teaching," Ambrose hissed at her.

As if on cue, Severus Snape strode into the room with a book and folder under one arm. Lucky found herself doing a double take, for he was not wearing his typical headmaster's robes. Instead, he was wearing very basic black robes not unlike what he wore at home with the exception that these looked somewhat newer. His glasses were in his hand rather than on his nose and his black hair was bound even tighter in a tail than normal. His eyes darted about the classroom only once as he strode over to the desk, frowning and letting out a short, disapproving sigh.

"Please rearrange yourselves by alphabetical order, Miss Agate in the front corner, Mr. Weasley in the back," Professor Snape said as he tossed his book and folder on the table and opened the folder as a grumble erupted. "And as quietly as possible, if you don't mind. If you're not sure who someone is, feel free to double check for placement purposes, but otherwise I'd rather not be all day about this. And from now on, I expect you in your assigned seats and silent when I come in, not mulling about the room or whispering threateningly at each other." Lucky frowned, wondering if that was directed at her despite the fact that he hadn't even been in the room at that point. "Miss Snape? Last I checked, S was at the other end of the alphabet," he said tersely and reluctantly she got up, Ambrose and her both sharing a sympathetic look when Lucky realized that had put him next to Delia Agate. As she trudged to the back row, she groaned softly when she realized there was a lack of T's, U's, and V's. Lifting her chin slightly, she marched back to the seat beside Reggie, ignoring the grimace that came over his face when she sat down next to him. Snape seemed to ignore it completely, already going over his list and making eye contact with each student before tossing it aside; apparently satisfied they had somehow managed to get themselves in the right order without too much direct intervention.

"As I'm sure you know since you have all successfully arrived here on time and in the proper classroom, you are here to begin the study of Ancient Runes, whether it is because of personal interest, advisor influence, or because you realized at the last minute you were required at least a year of the subject because of a particular field you wanted to get into," Snape said. Reggie grimaced noticeably despite the fact that the professor hadn't even looked in his direction. "The point being, you are here because you chose to be here, and therefore I trust you won't waste either my time or your time.

"These first couple of weeks," he continued, pausing to pass out some scrolls, "You will have a scroll of basic runic symbols to memorize; those of you taking my other course will find them useful as they will relate to some of the early lectures. And for those just taking this course alone, it will give all of you a jumpstart at the topic at hand; more specifically, ancient runes that can be found in Great Britain… if you take the second year, it'll broaden to other countries. We will not be discussing these memorization assignments at length during the class period, however, but you will be tested on them, so I suggest you go ahead and tackle them. It'll make all our lives easier later on in the course if you know them now.

"During class, we will be spending most of the first half of the course learning the different types of runes; language, mathematical, ceremonial, or magical, and some of the basic ways you can tell them apart. However, I warn you now, it's not as easy as it may sound, considering experts in the field often get it wrong. Identification spells are not foolproof in rune research, where it is often unclear whether a mark is real magic or a native attempt to mimic it for homage to one god or another… it takes logic and reason. As will the second half of the course, which will concentrate on decipherment, which is using known languages, local cultures, and comparative research, as well as some cryptography. Don't be surprised if the memorization assignment is the most painless part for some of you, because otherwise you're going to be expected to use your brains," Snape said with a thin, skeptical expression. Many of the students gazed at him with an unfocused, baffled expression, while some were dubiously peeking at the symbols list. Ambrose looked enthusiastic despite the fact that even he wasn't quite sure what all he was talking about, but Lucky gazed at him with an intense, fixed expression that didn't betray her thoughts.

* * *

Jennifer had attempted to let her Dabbler's class go early, but with picking up their phials and equipment and cleaning up for the night, she hurried up the stairs and down a short corridor only to find students already wandering out of Severus' classroom and on the way to dinner. The majority, it seemed, didn't seem to know whether they were going to enjoy the course or not. Grinning slightly to herself, Jennifer peered in the doorway to find that Severus had already erased the board and was reorganizing his folder.

"So, how did it go?" Jennifer inquired, Severus glancing up thoughtfully.

"Since when do you care much at all about Ancient Runes?" he asked.

"Well… since never," Jennifer admitted with a grin. "But I was asking more in general, really. How did it feel to be teaching in a classroom again?" Severus paused in thought.

"Nostalgic," he said at last, Jennifer laughing softly in response. "Come on, I need to go up and change if we're still eating in the Great Hall tonight."

"All right," Jennifer said with a smile, following him up the back stairs. "So how many points did we lose?" she asked daringly.

"None," he admitted with a shrug.

"What, none? Were there no Ravenclaws at all in your class?" Jennifer asked with surprise.

"A fair number," Severus shrugged, not turning around. "If you must know, I had no reason to deduct points from any of them."

"What?" Jennifer said incredulously. "Surely you're not _that_ rusty." Severus stopped short and scowled at her teasing smile.

"If they had given me a reason, you unfeeling wench, I would have," Severus said curtly. "As it happened, I heard not one murmur from any of them, nor barely even a turned head, despite the fact that Lucky ended up sitting in the back with Reginald." Jennifer grimaced, and then shook her head with a smile. "I expected something out of one of them if no one else."

"Yes, well, both of them have also found their way to the Headmaster's Study for disciplinary action on occasion too," Jennifer pointed out with a chuckle. "And those that haven't are bound to have heard all sorts of tales. I doubt you'll have many students pushing their luck, Severus. Although, you never know… they might let their guards down after they've gotten used to the idea of having you in the classroom."

"If not, it'll be a rather dull class," Severus said, only partially joking. "Although I'm certain that Ancient Magic will more than make up for it."

"Oh? So sure of that?" Jennifer asked as they walked in the sitting room, glancing to look over her own appearance in the mirror.

"Yes, quite certain, considering both of the Coventry twins signed up for the class," Severus said as he grabbed a robe out random, and nodding when Jennifer groaned sympathetically in response.

* * *

Ambrose Bailey was no more thrilled to find out that Don and Mike were going to take the class than the Professor had. But fortunately, he quickly remembered when he walked in after lunch that Friday that Dale Chance was also taking it as well. Grinning widely, Ambrose watched as Delia took the second seat beside Cliff Abbey, Hufflepuff's new prefect, and Dirk took the third seat, and he found himself firmly in the front row between Dirk and Dale. Even better, Don Coventry had the last desk in the row, watching rather glumly as his brother was forced to take the seat behind Abbey, and then another Ravenclaw, (Devon) and Gryffindor (Douglas) filled in the gap that put Pimra Glass right behind him. Ambrose let out a sigh of relief and contentment, for it was the first time he could ever remember alphabetical order working out to his benefit.

"Funny the Professor decided on rows of six," Dirk murmured softly on the right side of him. "Considering there's forty eight students in the class, you'd think seven rows would have made more sense, and this classroom is wide enough to have had it." Ambrose glanced back at Mike, who was using a spell to spin his quill on his desk, before turning back around and nodding to Dirk with a knowing grin.

"What did you say?" Delia asked, straining to hear, but Dirk had been turned towards Ambrose.

"If I have anything to say to you, I'll just make certain to send a letter through the postmaster's office in London. I'm sure you'll hear about it then," Dirk said coolly, and Delia turned back around and pointedly ignored him.

A moment later, Professor Snape strode in and straight over to his desk, slowing noticeably when he finally glanced around the room, a bit surprised to find that the students had already arranged themselves in their seats.

"Hm. Everyone bring a notebook?" Snape inquired, frowning skeptically until he saw they all had. "Everyone bring a notebook without any other subjects' notes in it?" he asked, then sneered softly when several of the students, mostly third years, sunk down a bit and shook their heads. "Yes, well, from now on you will bring a notebook exclusive to this class… which I recommend you do for all classes, especially electives that rely on lecture notes as your primary studying method. Use what you have for now, but I expect by next class period you will have it all copied over into a clean notebook, and no, Mr. Coventry, I do not allow dictation quills in my classes," he said, his eyes shifting over to where Don had his hand up and his quill floating and ready to go.

"And why is that?" Don asked challengingly. "Afraid you'll say something that can later be used against you?"

"Whether any particular professor decides to allow dictation spells in the classroom or not has always been at their own discretion, Mr. Coventry, what my reasons may or may not be is really not your business. However, I'm sure you will get a clue when you stay over during lunch and copy the phrase, 'Handwritten notes aid in retention' a hundred times. And that will be ten points off Slytherin for speaking out before I've given permission and ten more for disrespect towards a professor. And if I hear of you challenging professors in such a way in any other classes, you'll be finding yourself in my office quite early this year," Snape said evenly. "Now, shall I continue?" Don squinted at him, and despite having clamped his mouth shut wore an expression of defiance.

"There are four different types of magic in this universe; each with different schools…or branches… of study within them," Severus went on, indicating a chart on the chalkboard where he had all four labeled. "Two are learned forms of magic, which are Dark and Light, and two are instinctual forms of magic, which are Ancient and Wild. Some label the first two as 'modern' magic, although I find that is much a misnomer as the word 'ancient' is, since all four forms of magic are still practiced in some shape or form. As for the word 'ancient,' although it is the oldest of all four forms of magic, it also existed before the dawn of time, where such things as age truly have no meaning, but we'll go with its accepted name for the duration of the course. Wild magic began with the presence of life," he went on, gazing back at them. "And all things one would categorize as living or dealing with life or nature in general have some effect on Wild Magic, as well as the weather; the first breeder of life. Life forms which have evolved on pure wild magic such as Fae or Sidhe any other elven race, including House Elves, often draw directly from this source, and in rather dramatic fashion at times," he said dryly. "But it is totally reliant on living material to exist. The other two forms, Light and Dark, rely on being taught; whether it is school taught or parent taught or even self-taught through experimentation and so forth. But Ancient exists when all else fails, because it is magic in its raw state. Yes, Miss Glass, what exactly is it that is so important you have to interrupt my lecture for?" Severus asked curtly, Pimra shrinking down in her seat a bit. But Severus simply stood there and tapped his fingers in annoyance, waiting for her to get up the courage to speak.

"I… it is just that I heard stories about… about Ancient Magic nearly dying at one point, and Merlin having to come back and save us. How did that happen?" she asked. Severus stared at her.

"First off, despite popular belief at the time… and apparently now to some extent," he added with irritation, "Ancient Magic was in no way dying. It is true that it was out of balance with the others because of our waning knowledge of how it worked and it's subsequent misuse by myself as well as others who always took it for granted, and perhaps that did play some part in some of the unfortunate events that occurred twenty-five years ago. But Merlin was here for other reasons entirely: to help stabilize a long existing portal between our world and the Otherworld that had weakened over time, which was causing a surge of Fae and Sidhe creatures to breach our world. Including Ciardoth," he added, the class looking dutifully somber. "Other than giving advice on how to rebalance magic on this side of that door and making certain that all four Sentinels of Magic knew their positions, he really didn't do anything… and he most definitely didn't 'save us.' We saved ourselves," Snape said firmly, unsurprised when it was Ambrose who brought up his own hand up. "Isn't that right, Mr. Bailey? You wrote a paper on this subject, did you not?"

"Er… yes, Professor, as a part of my paper on _Hogwarts, A History_," Ambrose said, feeling the vicious glare of both twins coming at him from two different directions. "But it's not like students read those sorts of magazines, so it isn't their fault." Snape paused, but then shrugged.

"Perhaps not," Snape admitted. "What was it you were going to ask again?" Ambrose frowned.

"I forgot," Ambrose admitted.

"Good," Snape said, turning back to the blackboard. Ambrose blinked, wondering not only what he forgot but also why it was that the Professor had wanted him to forget. "Can I assume with all the interruptions you all have this copied by now?" he continued, erasing the chart he had put up without waiting for an answer, but glanced sideways at them to see several scribbling in their notebooks. Snape shook his head but turned his focus back to the board.

"As I stated before, each magic type has several schools of subclasses…expanding over time in many cases, but we will look at the major schools in this classed which are: Elemental; or Earth, Air, Water and Fire… or more basic than that… Matter, Gas, Liquid, and Energy. You will be learning some spells of each of these in this class," he said, some of the students, especially Ambrose, looking a lot more enthusiastic about that. "And you will be learning the theories on Temporal Magic and Dimensional Magic, which can only be cast using Ancient Magic," he said, tapping their names with the chalk. "In all other magic forms, time and dimension are set in our world… consistent; static. Only in Ancient Magic are these not constant and quite variable. However, because of this, actually casting or using a device made in either of these two branches is highly volatile and quite dangerous. It bypasses the other three types of Magic, being constant, and therefore can wipe it all out. That's why we're only learning the theory. Oh, what is it now, Mr. Bailey?" Snape sighed.

"Only… well, that's what Ciardoth was trying to do, isn't it? Using time and dimension to wipe the others out?" Ambrose asked carefully.

"She was trying to wipe all of us out, but yes, that is a prime example of how dangerous those arts are," Snape agreed.

"But… wasn't she Fae, or something like that?" Ambrose asked curiously. "I mean, all the records say she mostly fought with lightning and storms and tornadoes and things like that, and she teleported like a Fae, right?"

"She also used fire quite liberally," Snape said evenly. "And she also lived outside of time, remembering all her experiences at once, rather like Merlin was reported to have done. But whatever the cause or reason may be, she was just as much a creature of Ancient Magic as she was Wild Magic. However, I'd rather we not get distracted by something that would be better taught in your History classes, so let's move on," he said firmly, and Ambrose was too lost in his own thoughts to protest.

"Logical Magic, in its truest sense, also belongs in the Ancient Arts. We will only be discussing those schools briefly when they coincide with something we're working on, but generally speaking, it encompasses Arithmantics and any of the Physical Arts that use non-living matter as its main component, such as Ancient Runes, basic items, and some types of Potions. What now, Mr. Bailey? If you keep this up, I am going to deduct points from you every time you have a question," Snape sighed.

"I was just wondering about Astrology," Ambrose said. "Is it Wild Magic? Didn't the stars exist before living history?"

"On our world, perhaps, but the stars still have a time frame, after all," Snape said, looking quite annoyed. "Yes, Mr. Bailey, as far as the majority of experts are concerned, Astrology is considered to be of both magic types, but considering there's also a great many experts who doubt whether or not it is actually magic at all, I am certainly not covering it in this course," he concluded firmly. "And considering Ciardoth was able to warp our perception of the stars and its 'predictions', there is another argument to put it in the Wild category if you are one to believe in that sort of thing," Ambrose nodded thoughtfully at that.

"The last school that we will touch upon we shall label in this class as Will Magic, although you may have also heard it called Wish Magic," Snape said, writing it out. "I'm sure many of you with younger magic siblings know what this is, or you yourself remember experiencing it at one point. It is the most basic instinctual magic there is, when one exudes one's Will to make things happen to their benefit, or at the cost of someone else's. Even though these are often emotional impulses… emotion usually associated with Wild magic… Will magic is considered Ancient Magic because it pulls from only one source; your own energy, draining your magic and often physical energy to make them come about. Because of this, it is also highly dangerous, and in some circumstances can actually kill you. It can also be defended against easily if someone else knows you are doing it and makes an opposing Will to stop it. In fact, I understand that at one point this fact nearly wiped out all magic-casting humans off the planet because wizards of our ancient past kept going head to head with one another. That is when Merlin came in and put some rules in place, many of which we still follow today. Although you will not be learning how to cast this sort of magic, you will be learning how to recognize it. Those of you going into certain fields, such as research or law enforcement will find it useful.

"That, then, is our agenda, and as you can see we have a lot of work to do, especially considering this course only meets but once a week. Finish copying this down, please, and then we shall be looking at how we use… and often take advantage of… Ancient Magic in today's society," Snape said, glancing around to see most were hard at work. Only Ambrose seemed to be looking at him. He stepped over and glanced at his notes, frowning when they were quite complete. "You may also want to note that for next week's assignment that I expect all of you to write a twenty-four inch scroll on the Fomorians, in preparation for your introduction to Elemental Magic."

The class stared at him unenthusiastically at the idea of having to write a report already and wondering if it wasn't simply the Headmaster's attempt at keeping them busy that first weekend before tryouts and other school activities began. But Ambrose sat absorbing it all with an intense expression, not wanting to miss a single word that was spoken.


	11. Speculation and Experimentation

Chapter Eleven

Speculation and Experimentation

Jennifer watched forlornly as the Headmaster struck out suggestion after suggestion on her list, growing more somber with every muttered, "no" and more concerned with every uttered, "definitely not." Finally he looked up at her, holding out her list expressionlessly.

"Is there anything even left?" she asked only half-jokingly as she accepted it, frowning when she looked it over. "Five? Out of three dozen suggestions this is all I have to work with?" Jennifer sighed.

"Yes, well, for all the other ones I struck out, I immediately thought of just how disastrous any of those questions might have gotten," Severus said in an almost defensive tone that made Jennifer sigh.

"All right, Professor, I know better than not to trust your judgment on something like this," Jennifer said, looking them over. "I think I'll start with the coin toss first. You did want to supervise the first one, did you not?"

"Yes, did you want to do that today?" Severus asked, straightening his desk.

"You did say something about wanting it on a day in which I have made no plans in case I ran into trouble," Jennifer pointed out, watching as he went over to a cabinet and opened it with an ornate key before pulling out a book on rare coins. Opening it, he took out Hufflepuff's Obol, while Jennifer gave him an amused grin. His expression was much more serious, however, glancing at the coin thoughtfully before handing it over. "Shall we try it here, or downstairs?"

"Since you're probably going to do the majority of these experiments downstairs, let's go down there for consistency… although I would be shocked to find that location would have any true effect…" he murmured, pondering it. Finally he shrugged it off. "Shall we?" Jennifer took his arm and in no time they were stepping down into the Potion Lab and over to Jennifer's office.

After taking only a moment to hook back the door, Jennifer stepped in and grabbed a folder she had prepared and then sorted through a pocket to bring out a galleon. Putting the regular coin on her desk, she glanced over at Severus, who came up beside her and nodded.

"Will the galleon land on heads?" Jennifer said, not catching Severus' frown as she tossed the Obol in the air.

"I don't think that was specific enough, Jennifer…" Severus began, but then immediately turned his attention to the ancient coin spinning in air, finally showing the symbol of Charon.

Jennifer felt a curious tingling sensation running through her as she watched an image appear, for she had never been present when the Obol had been thrown before. It was slightly hazy at first, but when it cleared, she saw that the vision was of someone's feet, and she was quite positive it was her own.

"I seem to be in the Potion Lab," she murmured. "Only a handful of students, not paying attention to me… must be an open lab period, and since it's daytime, it must be a weekend."

"I can see it," Severus said, watching as the view changed as Jennifer knelt down to pick up the coin on the floor. It grew blurry again, and Severus realized that Jennifer had whipped up her head abruptly and was looking at the door where he saw a vision of himself, standing with a disturbing expression of worry on his face. The perspective changed again to just outside the doorway, and the Severus in the image was saying something. A moment later, the perspective changed again, a hand coming up in front of the students watching curiously from the classroom, immediately turning to pack up their things. Just then, the vision faded. "Not very informative, was it?" Severus murmured. "I don't suppose you were able to read anything?"

"Yes… a little," Jennifer admitted, gazing at him. "You were very worried about Lucky. Something terrible happened, and you were certain you had made the situation worse unintentionally. In fact, as worried as you were about Lucky, you were rather too busy kicking yourself at that moment for me to get a clearer reading of what caused it." Severus stared at her searchingly for a long time.

"Hm. In that case, still rather vague," Severus said.

"I… well, I suppose," Jennifer said with a frown, folding her arms and staring at the Charon thoughtfully. "I hope whatever it is… I hope Lucky's not in any danger…"

"Jennifer, I thought we agreed that no matter what was seen in the Obol that we would approach this as a research project?" Severus said disapprovingly. "You can stop the event easily enough by simply flipping the coin now, and I suggest you do so. And from now on, we should probably stipulate some sort of time frame for the yes or no answers. We have no idea from the way that was worded just how far off in the future that possible event could have been."

"Yes, that is true, I should have thought of that," Jennifer agreed, thinking about the vision a moment before picking up the Obol. "Although I am certain it is an event that is supposed to happen this year. There was a seventh year I recognized in the lab…"

"_Might_ be an event, not is, Jennifer. Flip the damn galleon," Severus said, picking it up and handing it to her. Jennifer gazed at his firm expression unsurely, but finally sighed and flipped the coin up in the air, watching as it hit the desk with a clatter and saw the unmistakable picture of a goblin head. "There, now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"I suppose not," Jennifer said, opening her notebook and sitting down to take note of it. "I just hope… well, I just hope by choosing to go against it that we didn't make things worse."

"Not allowing yourself your free will right to make your own decisions because of any portent of the future makes things worse, Jennifer," Severus said firmly. "If nothing else comes out of this little experiment, I am hoping you'll at least come to realize that much."

Jennifer decided not to comment, dutifully logging the time and the exact contents of the vision and their choice not to follow it while Severus broke out the tea set, wondering not for the first time if this sort of research was such a good idea after all.

* * *

As Lucky and Connie approached the back of the Great Hall after lunch, the sound of groveling pleas outside the door made them look at each other questioningly. They darted out the door, staring in disbelief at where Professor Scribe had Dale cornered outside the staff room.

"Okay! Okay, okay… I won't drop choir," Dale promised with a soft chuckle, gently pushing her pleading cupped fist out of his face. Lucky folded her arms, watching the scene disapprovingly as the professor got to her feet and straightened her robes, glancing at the other students peering out the door and pretending as if nothing had happened.

"Good. Then you won't miss next week, then?" Scribe asked primly.

"No, but I still need to leave early for tryouts…" Dale reminded her.

"Of course! Of course!" Scribe said quickly. "But you will show up?"

"I'll show up," Dale said, sounding almost as if he were regretting it already.

"Good! I'm sure missing this week won't hurt too much, since I was mainly testing our new members, of course… see you in History?" she inquired as she got back into her normal professor routine.

"Yes, Professor," Dale said, watching her step into the staff room. Dale shook his head, then noticed Connie and Lucky walking up.

"Well, you can always drop the newspaper still, right?" Connie said with a sympathetic grin.

"There's only one problem with that," Dale sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. "I was voted newspaper editor last night," he admitted, glancing over at Lucky's unimpressed expression. "Which leaves me with having to drop Quidditch and/or soccer, I guess." Lucky blinked, suddenly aware of the conversation.

"What? You can't do that! Ravenclaw is the only competition we got!" Lucky protested. "The other two houses football teams trip over their own feet!"

"I imagine Bobby would take over, Lucky, he's not that bad," Dale said with a sigh, joining them on the walk to the library.

"Ya, but it's not the same. 'Sides, I don't think ya really wanna drop it," Lucky argued. "An' it's not like we have any games until spring. By then half of the Quidditch season is over."

"But we still have practice while the weather holds. When do you expect me to study if my weekends are completely taken up with activities?" Dale asked.

"Weeknights," Lucky shrugged.

"A lot of good that will do me if I have a Charms test on Monday," Dale said, shaking his head. "And you know being an items major I will need top marks in that."

"You can always drop something later if it doesn't work out," Connie suggested.

"It's not worth getting stressed out about," Lucky said with a shrug, the three of them going silent as they passed through the library and into the order room.

"There you are!" Ambrose said the moment they entered, grinning at them. "Choir let out early… in fact, if Professor Scribe didn't have to test the ranges of our new people, she probably would have let us all out the moment she realized you weren't coming, Dale."

"Yeah, she caught up with me," Dale said dryly. "Apparently, she's not going to let me drop any more than Weasley is prepared to let me drop the _Veritable Wizard._"

"So how does it feel to be popular, Dale?" Laura teased him as he sat down beside her.

"Exhausting," Dale said, his voice betraying a hint of irritation. "Care to trade lives?"

"You would want anyone else's home life but mine, trust me," Laura said dryly. "As much as I love my father, living on a lunar calendar is no picnic."

"At least you have a calendar. My father can turn wild at any moment," Dale chuckled.

"My father is nice, but I'll trade anyone who likes if they'll take my brothers too," Elizabeth Coventry said.

"No way," Dale said, and nearly everyone else chuckled, except for Ambrose, who looked slightly uncomfortable, and Lucky, who seemed unusually interested in her goal list. "So Lucky, anything worth doing in there this year?"

"Nah, I only finished one last year," Lucky shrugged, "and I was one of those folks that got 'keep up correspondence' as a replacement. I already sent a letter off though."

"I haven't, but I probably will tonight or tomorrow, even though I haven't got a clue where mine is from. Only there is something a bit odd about him… well, other than the fact he doesn't have a clue who I am, that is," Dale said, missing Lucky's eye roll because he was busy digging out the letter. "His name is Ipilee Jaq Kaniq. Any guesses?"

"Durmstrang maybe?" Lindsay ventured.

"It's definitely not French," Helena said, grimacing when she saw the way it was spelled.

"He also said something in here about the fact that most of his family doesn't use last names, except on official documents and things, and he also says here that his father's parents didn't have a last name on documents either, so they had to use a code number instead."

"Sounds rather backwater to me," Dirk said skeptically. "I don't know, perhaps you got a giant, Dale. I'm sure full giants don't have last names, although I admit it doesn't sound Norwegian. Perhaps Russia?"

"Perhaps, but I'm not sure about the giant thing," Dale decided, glancing at it. "Any clues on yours?"

"Nancy Parker," Dirk said. Ambrose blinked and looked up thoughtfully. "Her parents are horticultural herbologists, apparently, so I am guessing either she's from that Irish Academy or perhaps America. I'm sure I'll figure it out in a post or two."

"Really? Hey, I think I know some Parkers," Lindsay commented thoughtfully. "Of course, they're just regular farmers."

"It's a very common name, Lindsay," Ambrose said quickly.

"Oh, well, that's true enough," Lindsay said. "I was just wondering if she might be related to someone."

"Highly unlikely," Dirk said critically. "At least not any that they'd admit to, considering they seem to be a fairly prosperous wizarding family."

"Maybe, but we probably shouldn't read too much into these first letters, considering they wrote these not knowing at all who was going to be receiving them," Ambrose said. "Mine has a French name, but that doesn't guarantee they're at Beauxbatons, after all. Just like Lucky's American, but her last name wasn't…"

"Give it a break, Bill," Lucky said flatly.

"Well, the point is, we still have a lot of find out about them, but you have to admit it's all rather fascinating, isn't it?" Ambrose said.

"It was a good idea," Pimra agreed, nodding over to Laura who was smiling back in satisfaction. "But what are we going to do this year?"

"I got an idea," Lucky ventured. Everyone looked over at her in surprise. It wasn't like Lucky to volunteer anything these days, especially not ideas. Of course, the idea was so perfect that for the first time in quite some time it had ended in a unanimous vote.

* * *

"A new fountain?" Reggie asked curiously as he, Helena and Pimra waited near the gates for the rest of the Muggle class to arrive. He was sheepishly aware of the fact that he was the only seventh year in the whole class, and was quite glad that he hadn't put Divination off to until his last year as well.

"Not just a fountain, really, but a memorial fountain, dedicated not only to Lyra, but all the other students who never made it through school because of one tragedy or another," Helena explained. "Like Myrtle, and Noah…"

"Noah would not want a fountain of anything," Reggie snorted. "Although I bet Moaning Myrtle will."

"Well, you get the idea," Helena said.

"We're also going to make special tiles so they can be written on later if need be, although I thought that part of the idea is a little morbid," Pimra admitted.

"It may be here for hundreds of years if we do the job well, Pimra. Realistically, whether we like it or not, there's going to be a student death now and then, Lucky is right about that," Helena said.

"Lucky does like to be morbid," Reggie agreed, Helena giving her cousin a dirty look in response. "But I agree it's a good idea. Where are you thinking of putting it?"

"Don't know that part. All I know is that Ambrose is going to write up some sort of proposal to the Headmaster about the project, and we'll see what he thinks," Helena said.

"Ambrose? Shouldn't you get Dale or Laura to do it?" Reggie asked.

"Ambrose volunteered to do it, and really, why would we?" Helena said.

"Oh, let's see, maybe because he's ten?" Reggie chuckled.

"He's also our chairman," Helena said evenly.

"Only because he and Lucky started it," Reggie said, shaking his head.

"No, not only," Helena said proudly.

"I don't know, Lena, maybe Lucky's right about Reggie not being Owl material," Pimra said, putting up her nose.

"Perhaps she is," Helena said curtly, giving Reggie a cold stare before the two of them shuffled over to where some of the other third years were standing. Reggie shook his head at them in annoyance, but just then he heard heavy hooves and looked up to see a rather big trolley pulled by a pair of Clydesdale-sized deer with charcoal grey coats and huge, dangerous-looking racks of antlers.

"Wait… are those reindeer?" Reggie asked out loud.

"They are Moonbucks," said Cindy, stepping up beside him. "Don't tell me, you didn't take more than a year of Magical Creatures either? I'm sure your father was thrilled about that."

"Well, I had to leave time for Quidditch Practice," Reggie retorted to the sixth year, "but if you want to know anything about dragons, I'll be happy to enlighten you." Cindy simply shook her head and focused past him where Madame Black was walking up with a list in her hand.

"Good, I see you all made it here," Madame Black sighed, stepping up to the back of the trolley as far from the beasts as she could possibly get, while trying to pretend they weren't there at all. "But just to be safe, I'll mark off your names as you get on. Line up so we can get this over with."

"Couldn't get a car to work this far in, Madame Black?" Reggie ventured daringly. "My grandfather had one that made it this far once."

"Yes, I heard about that," Madame Black said, making certain that Reggie sat on the lower level so she could keep an eye on him. "But I'm afraid my insurance doesn't cover my car being turned into a monster."

"My father could sell you some insurance that would cover that, Madame Black," ventured another student helpfully.

"In, Mr. Havershaw," Madame Black sighed, impatient for everyone to get on.

Helena and Pimra quickly made their way up the stairs right behind him and into the front seats so they could see while classmates piled in.

The chatter around them was so excited that Helena could barely hear herself think, but she was much too interested in looking out the front of the trolley anyhow, even thought the antlers of the Moonbucks partially ruined the view. Around the lake they sped and up to the train station, bumping over the tracks dramatically and meeting a freshly laid gravel road she hadn't noticed before cutting through fields of corn and barley. It wasn't a long ride from there to the back of a large farmhouse where the trolley finally stopped.

"All right, everyone! File out! And before we go in, don't forget the safety rules! In fact, maybe we ought to go over them now," Madame Black muttered, suddenly remembering more than one disastrous incident that happened when she took students over to her house. "Okay, first! What are the general safety rules we learned in class last week? Reggie?"

"Water and electricity don't mix?" he offered.

"That's one. Helena?"

"Um…" she said, pretending to be concentrating on getting down the stairs to buy herself more time. "Don't stick fingers, wands, or anything else that's not a plug in a wall socket?"

"Right. Um… Cliff?"

"Don't stick fingers, wands, or anything else that's not a plug in a toaster?" he offered.

"Anything that's not bread, Cliff, and that's a kitchen rule, not a general rule," Black sighed. "There's one more big one."

"Oh! I remember! Don't push buttons or pull switches unless you know what it does first!" Cliff said.

"Great. Now the kitchen rules I had you memorize for homework. Jill?"

"Don't put metal or familiars in the microwave," she recited.

"Cindy?"

"Um… don't put hands, metal or familiars down the garbage disposal?" Cindy said.

"Er... close enough. How about you, Pimra?"

"Don't use the blender without the lid on?" she guessed meekly.

"Well, that wasn't one of them, but it's a good point," Madame Black decided. "You have another one, Helena?"

"Just because the oven doesn't have a flame doesn't mean it isn't hot," Helena said. As they rounded the bend, they saw Sirius leaning against the front door holding it open. He smirked at Helena.

"Right! Yes, Don?" Madame Black asked reluctantly.

"Don't cast any flame spells because it might set off the sprinklers?" he said.

"Yes, but you'd better not be casting any spells while you're in here, come to think of it, and if you do, you will all be going without wands next time," she warned, making certain to fix her gaze at the Coventry twins.

"Yes, Madame Black," they both said at the same time.

"Fine, then I suppose you can go in and explore now, but don't bother trying to get into the attic. That's the computer room and you're not going to be ready for that for a while," she said, stepping over beside her husband so they could work their way inside.

"I give them five minutes," Sirius murmured in Anna's ear. Anna let out a short exasperated sigh.

"At least give them the benefit of the doubt," she said irritably, but just then several students cried out at once.

"Madame Black! Helena did something in the kitchen with the toaster and all the lights went out!" Cindy called out.

"I was giving them the benefit of the doubt," Sirius murmured back before stepping in the doorway. "All right, just hang on a minute, guys, and I'll go check the fuses."

"Don't worry, I'll just light a candle!" Don suggested enthusiastically.

"NO!" Sirius and Anna shouted. Just then, all the students began squealing as the sprinklers turned on. "Good thing I put the computers in the attic, now, isn't it?" he said, the icy gaze on his wife's face showing him just how much she didn't need another "I told you so" remark at that moment.


	12. Dissention

Chapter Twelve

Dissention

The two boys were still scrubbing out fireplaces when Abraxus Coventry arrived at Hogwarts the next evening. He answered their pleas with calming words as he passed them on the way up to the Headmaster's Study, finding the door open and Snape at his desk.

"Good morning, Severus," Abraxus said with a sigh.

"Mr. Coventry. Coffee or tea?"

"Thank you, no, if it's all the same, I'd rather just hear what you have to say and be done with it, really. To be frank, I'd have rather you just sent the bill to my office like you normally do," Abraxus admitted, taking a seat.

"Yes and without a second glance, I'm sure," Severus said sternly, Abraxus frowning at him. "Unfortunately, in this particular instance it's more than property damage, although the amount those two have done in that area is staggering. They put a fellow student in danger with this last stunt, because Michael was able to convince Miss Weasley to try and plug in a blender by jamming the plug in a working toaster." Abraxus began to snort but quickly took on a serious expression when Severus' own expression was quite serious. "In fact, had Mr. Black not taken extra precautions as far as the electricity is concerned in that house, they very well might have electrocuted a student. What disturbs me most is how intentional it was. You have a hybrid house for your wife's convenience, do you not?"

"Well, yes, Severus, but I seriously doubt that Mike would ever put a student in danger…"

"Not on his own, perhaps, but with Donald egging him on, he most undoubtedly would," Severus said firmly.

"Severus, really, you know as well as I do that those Weasleys have been in and out of trouble since Arthur and that centaur pulled that stunt with the boats back when I was in school. They're not known for making sound decisions of any sort. I wouldn't be half surprised if the student in question took it upon herself to do it, and my boys ended up a convenient scapegoat," Abraxus said, shaking his head.

"Not this Weasley, Abraxus, not Helena," Severus said firmly. "The girl has been nothing but a model Slytherin from the moment she stepped into this school, and she isn't known for stepping out of line. Her only fault in this matter was trusting your boys' judgment knowing they did have at least some experience with electricity, although I dare say she won't ever make that mistake again after the shock she must have gotten. Mischief is one thing, Abraxus, but student endangerment is quite another. I think it would probably be better for everyone concerned if we considered Sorting one of them into another house."

"What?" Abraxus said, jumping up in horror.

"Furthermore, it should be Michael who gets re-sorted. I don't think he would be getting into trouble at all if it weren't for his brother's influence, and Donald needs special attention that Madame Brittle is more qualified to provide. What Michael needs is to simply get away from his other siblings so he can figure out who he is other than Donald's spare hands."

"There hasn't been a Coventry out of Slytherin in five generations!" Abraxus protested.

"Then perhaps it's high time," Severus snapped. "There's only been one Weasley out of Gryffindor in at least that long, and thanks to your boys' 'instruction,' she could have been seriously injured, if not worse."

"Oh, piddle! You said yourself Black took every precaution, and she came out of it quite unharmed," Abraxus said angrily. "I'm sure this isn't even about that. You simply have something against my boys for some reason! I never heard a breath about the Weasley twins getting separated, or your niece and nephew for that matter, and I suspect they had a hand in that business with Hexendaas…"

"Whatever your suspicions, they are beside the point, Abraxus. Both of those cases were under Dumbledore's administration, not mine. I also happen to know that in each of those cases, separation had been considered on more than one occasion; they were simply smart enough to know when to stop pushing their luck before that happened," Severus said.

"At least they were given the courtesy of a second chance, Severus. I demand the same for my boys," Abraxus said hotly.

"Fine," Severus agreed, standing up. "Although if I were their parent, I personally would have separated them for Michael's sake, but I will agree to back off my recommendation for now. However, the moment either of them ends up in another situation that puts a student or staff in danger again, they will be separated. Immediately," Severus said firmly. "Now, I'm going to go release those two from detention and send them up here so you can talk to them about it and conduct whatever discipline you might have for their actions. I trust an hour will be enough?"

"May I see Elizabeth as well?" Abraxus inquired.

"Elizabeth is more than likely in the library studying with the rest of the Owl Order. It is good to know at least one of your children is displaying some common sense," Severus said, walking towards the door.

"I beg your pardon, are you criticizing my parenting?" Abraxas said, aghast. Severus paused at the door.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Severus said crisply, leaving Abraxas to stare after him as he went to fetch the twins.

* * *

Hermione looked up from her book as he walked in the Great Hall, where the majority of students were now getting up to head to their houserooms, one or two of which pausing to throw a jibe at the twins who now had their heads in one of the main fireplaces. Only at the Slytherin table did they not say a word, but neither did they offer any support, ignoring them completely as they went to their classes with only cold, disapproving looks at the two boys. Hermione didn't envy them in the slightest; the rest of Slytherin apparently didn't hold kindly to the fact they had sabotaged a fellow housemate, Weasley or not. After having a quick word with the twins and sending them up to his office covered in soot, Severus peered down the corridor until they reached the stairs and then lost interest in watching them, walking back inside.

"Don't be surprised if I get another parental complaint notice through the board before the next meeting," Severus murmured to Hermione.

"Yes, well, you knew that recommendation wouldn't go over well," she said with amusement. "I hope you didn't go too far."

"On the contrary, in some ways I don't think I went far enough, considering what I had on my mind to say to him," Severus muttered.

"Personally, I think you should have gone ahead and separated them and let their parents find out the hard way," Hermione said.

"And have them find out through the twins when they start wailing about how I've been mistreating them? Hardly," Severus said dryly. "However, now that they've been warned, the next time they go too far, I will do it straight away."

"You sound like it's less a matter of if instead of when," Hermione said with amusement.

"There can be no doubt about that. I only hope no one gets hurt in the process," Severus said somberly, glancing at his watch. "Anyhow, as far as I'm concerned the detention is over… for now."

"I'll see you in the morning then," Hermione said with a nod, more than ready to head home for the evening.

With his office occupied, Severus wandered up the front stairs instead and up to the ninth floor, pausing at the painting of a sleeping dragon.

"Each man is the architect of his own fate," Severus quoted, the dragon's head lifting only a second before falling back asleep again as the door opened.

"There you are," Jennifer said from the couch of his sitting room, marking papers. "I nearly walked in on Mr. Coventry and the boys just a moment ago."

"Scolding them?" Severus asked.

"Consoling them," Jennifer said with amusement.

"Yes, well, so much for optimism," Severus said in annoyance, going to his desk and bringing out a folder of his own. Just then he heard someone clear his throat and glanced above his desk.

"Yes Armando?"

"The office is now unoccupied, Headmaster Snape. Shall I leave it open?" Dippet asked.

"No, barring an emergency I believe I'm done in there for the evening," Severus said and then paused. "Or is that too optimistic as well?"

"Not something you are known for, Professor," Dippet ventured. Jennifer laughed outright, Severus' scorning look towards the painting soon turning on her.

"You beat me to it, Armando, I was about the say the same thing," Jennifer teased.

"I'll just be dozing then, in case the ceiling falls in," Dippet said. "Yes, well, you never know after all," he added before wandering out of the frame.

"I have had too long of a day to be picked on by paintings," Severus grumbled. "Let alone my wife."

"Come and sit down, Severus, and mark those papers of yours before you get interrupted again," Jennifer advised, turning some teacups over.

"Interrupted? I never had time to even start last evening with all that business at the Popcorn Farm. Fortunately, Zoë brought along this rather impressive little charmed kitchen sponge that sped things up tremendously. It even worked on the carpets," he said.

"Really? I would like to get my hands on something like that," Jennifer said.

"Yes, I told her it would probably interest you," Severus said, pulling out the tests and sitting beside her, then glanced at another paper he had folded in the same envelope. "Oh, and so might this, come to think of it," he said, handing it over to her. "Ambrose handed this over to me at the end of class. I must have forgotten to put it on my desk."

"A memorial fountain?" Jennifer said, glancing over Ambrose's proposal. "Why, this is a brilliant idea! Are you going to approve this? But where would it go?"

"Well, we could do with a new fountain in the courtyard, I suppose, although… considering he suggested tile, I wonder if we could do a bit more than just this…" he mused. Jennifer chuckled at him.

"Is that your way of saying you'll approve it, but you want a hand in it?" she asked knowingly.

"Oh come now, Jennifer, your hands are all over this pen pal thing of theirs, you can tell that just from the schools that were picked," Severus said knowingly.

"Well, someone had to contact and negotiate all that, after all, Severus, not to mention deal with the board," Jennifer said.

"Yes, I know, and the same can be said for this project. I imagine they'll be finding themselves holding a fundraiser or two, although I wonder who might possibly design it… well, I suppose I'll wait and see what they can come up with on their own first," he decided after he thought about it a moment, grimacing when he realized his tea had already gone cold.

"Are you ever going to start on those?" Jennifer said with an enigmatic smile, nodding to the tests in his hand. "You know, I am nearly halfway done with mine, and I have a lot more to mark than you. At this rate, I'll be done way before you. Fall asleep waiting, most likely…"

"I hardly think these are going to take me long, Jennifer. I really don't even need to glance at a key to do them, since I simply tested them on the runes they were supposed to have memorized from the first week," Severus said, and then began to go through them.

"I bet they were all thrilled to get a test so soon," Jennifer chuckled.

"Just keeping them on their toes, Jennifer. Some of these students could use a bit of stringent discipline considering how lax it is in the staff I have now…"

"Hey, are you trying to pick a fight? Or are you fishing for sharks now?" Jennifer challenged him.

"Simply stating a fact, really, or do you deny using that cart you smuggled into the Potion Lab as a breakfast buffet?" Severus inquired expressionlessly.

"Oho, so it is a fight you're after. Well, I'm not falling for it, Severus. I know better than to trust you when you're in one of these moods. You'll just have to use the training mirror to banter at this time," Jennifer scolded him, blinking when she missed an error on the current homework page and made herself go back and double check them all.

"I am not the one who talks to mirrors," Severus smirked, going to the next test.

Jennifer was working on an admirable comeback when she saw Severus' face suddenly darken and a deep frown appearing on his face.

"What?" Jennifer asked.

"One moment," Severus said, going over the paper. He sighed when he got to the end of it, shaking his head. "Not a single answer correct on the entire test."

"Lucky?" Jennifer asked, putting what she was working on down and peering at it.

"Even someone who hadn't studied the material could have guessed some of these runes because of the pictorial quality to them. Even someone who filled them in randomly should have gotten one or two of the multiple choice," Severus sighed. "This was intentional."

"I should have guessed she might do something like this," Jennifer sighed. Severus blinked at her questioningly. "Hermione mentioned to me that she tried to get out of Ancient Runes."

"And you're just bringing this up now, why?" Severus asked with annoyance.

"Well, I was afraid you might take it personally, honestly," Jennifer admitted. Severus grew quiet.

"It was personal," Severus said at last.

"Perhaps it was," Jennifer admitted softly. "What are you going to do, Severus?"

"What do we do when any other student miserably fails a test, Jennifer?" Severus said.

"Well, if it was the first time, I generally call it a fluke and ignore it," Jennifer admitted, "unless it's vital to the next lesson, and then I usually take them aside and assign them extra work."

"Yes, and we don't normally send a letter home unless it becomes a habit," Severus brooded.

"True, although to be fair, if it was something this extraordinary… I mean, if it seemed that the student was intentionally doing it, I would at least talk to her advisor about it," Jennifer said.

"Yes, good point," Severus said, getting up, noting the concerned expression on her face. "Well, nobody is stopping you from doing your normal nosing about, are they?" he added, a half-smile finally creeping back on her face.

"Yes, well, true, although it isn't as if we can't guess the underlying cause of it. I think I'll have a word or too with Danny about it, though," Jennifer said.

"And I in turn with Boulderdash," Severus nodded, stepping in the study just long enough to update the appointment book before the two of them got to work, both well aware it would be hard to think about anything else for the rest of the evening.

* * *

Ambrose had long gotten used to Lucky's mood swings and occasional outbursts, and he was so grateful to have her in the majority of the classes, he barely even noticed them at all until their last Charms class that week.

"Now that we've had our review of last years, we're going to have a casting exam of all the protection spells we learned last year. I'm sure you all have those down by now, so consider it an easy mark to help when we start in major enchantments this year," Professor Weasley had said. "Of course, that'll take all your Tuesday class session, but I am going to recommend you start reading ahead into the next chapter, to prepare for Wednesday," she warned with an enigmatic smile.

"She always wants us to read ahead," Lucky said with irritation when Weasley let the class go a minute later.

"Well, at least the next test is only a casting exam, Lucky! And last year's spells, too, so I doubt anyone's going to fizzle on those," Ambrose said cheerfully. Lucky gave him a scathing look but didn't say anything. "Hey, how about we just skip dinner and have sandwiches in the Owl Room tonight? I need to help in the journalism room later, so if we eat there we'll have more study time."

"Ya, I wasn't in the mood to deal with anybody else anyhow," Lucky agreed, following him downstairs. "So when does the paper go out?"

"Friday night for copy that goes through the Owl Post, and Saturday mornings for students," Ambrose said. "Professor Craw and some of the other teachers complained last year about the paper causing class disruptions when they went out on Mondays, so they had to change it. That's why sparring is going to be on Thursdays this year."

"Great, when we got Transfiguration at the end of the week," Lucky said with annoyance.

"Don't worry, Lucky. Let's work on it now and try to study ahead a bit to try and get a jump on it," he suggested.

"Easy for you to say. You know that's my worst course. I just can't seem to wrap my head around it," Lucky complained. Ambrose paused.

"No, that's a Charm, not Transfiguration," he said, Lucky staring at him in response. But before she could even attempt to explain, they had reached the library door and were forced to move silently across it. And by the time they got to the other side, Lucky found herself wondering how that particular phrase came about in the first place and decided it was safer to just skip it. Ambrose waved at Reggie, who sat in pure boredom behind the librarian's desk, pretending to study while he helped students check their books, waving distractedly at them when they passed. Ambrose waved enthusiastically at him, while Lucky simply ignored it. "Ah, here we are, and it looks like it's just us, Lucky!" Ambrose declared as they stepped in.

"And what am I, then, a figment of your imagination, Mr. Bailey?" Boulderdash asked from where he sat reading at the work desk.

"I meant students, of course, no offense meant," Ambrose protested. "Are there any sandwiches?"

"If not, I'm sure there will be in a moment," Boulderdash said with a disturbingly toothy expression that always made Lucky wonder if it was his attempt at a smile or something else entirely. "By the way, Mr. Bailey, it would seem that the Headmaster has shown interest in your group owl goal this year and is requesting further detail."

"Really?" Ambrose said brightly, but then thought about it. "What sort of detail?"

"More than likely, I'd think he wants to know who is going to design it, who is going to build it, and who is going to pay for it?" Boulderdash said with an amused sneer.

"Oh. Well, us, I'd say, considering it's our project, right?" Ambrose said. Lucky shook her head.

"None of us know how to build fountains, Bill," Lucky said. "Best we can do is hire somebody or sucker in a volunteer, and then hold some fundraisers to pay for it, because I dunno about you, but it's not commin' out of my Hogsmeade money."

"Well, how about your Uncle Sirius?" Ambrose suggested.

"Knowing the Headmaster, he would probably prefer goblin masons on this sort of project, Mr. Bailey, since it would need to withstand the test of time," Boulderdash said. "And I'm afraid even for such a small project as this, even considering the fact that some of the students in the Owls have some means, it'll be more than what you've brought with you."

"Okay, you have a point. We can talk about it when everyone gets here Saturday afternoon and brainstorm on it," Ambrose said, sitting down and immediately writing himself a note and some ideas of his own.

"A good idea," Boulderdash nodded, getting up and focusing in on Lucky. "Miss Snape, might I have a word with you in my office? It's about an unrelated matter," he added when Ambrose looked up curiously.

"Ya," Lucky shrugged and got up. When the goblin hopped down, Lucky found herself noticing how short he was. He had spent so many hours on stools reading or working on damaged books that it always seemed startling when she had to walk beside him.

"Come on in, you know I don't care for too many formalities," he said briskly, and Lucky let the door swing shut and went over to the desk. Seeing the test he brought out, she sighed and sat down in resignation. "You know, when I had lunch with the Headmaster today, I suspected that the fountain would be the main topic. As it happened, it seemed to be his concern that a particular order member might be spending too much time on Owl projects instead of studying during the weekends."

"I study," Lucky snorted. "And I haven't done anything on my goals except write back to Eyecleaver."

"Yes, I know," Boulderdash mused, glancing at the test. "You know, I think you would have let one or two right answers slip on this. I'm certain it being completely wrong looked rather suspicious. Although I must admit, I was rather expecting you to attempt this sort of tactic to get out of your Magical Creatures class, not Ancient Runes."

"We haven't had a test in that yet," Lucky shrugged. "He just lectures about creatures he pulls out when we're cleaning out their stalls. It's not a creatures class so much as a training course to be a scat expert." Boulderdash sneered at that.

"Yes, well, concentrate on getting out of one class at a time, then, will you? If you try to divide your efforts, you'll succeed in getting out of neither," he advised. Lucky stared at him. "What?"

"You're not gonna turn me in?" she asked suspiciously.

"Have I ever?" Boulderdash asked, staring at her with beady black eyes. "I simply don't think your current tactic is going to work. It'll do nothing but get your parents irate and your privileges revoked if you keep it up. Tell me, Miss Snape, yes or no… do you want out of the class because you simply hate the material so much you don't want to bother with it?" Lucky gazed at him searchingly.

"No," she admitted.

"Good, then I believe I have an alternative for you that will not only get you out of that class but do it so that neither of your parents will get either upset… or offended," he said with a strange, fanged expression. "It may take a few weeks, I'm afraid, but with any luck we can get you out at least by Christmas."

"Fine, I'm in," Lucky decided.

"Good, then we have quite a bit of work to do, Miss Snape," Boulderdash said with a fanged smile.


	13. Delia

Thirteen

Delia

Delia Agate nearly fell out of bed that Saturday after staying up so late the night before. But then she remembered what day it was and quickly pulled herself together. Getting in her closet and pulling out a wide rack filled with strips of calico, she picked out a black one covered with stars and moons and used it as a headband to push back her sometimes unruly light brown hair.

Four dictation pens floated at their stations; one by her homework, one by her diary, one by her calendar, and one by her stationary, forever ready in case she wanted to have them write something down. She was nearly always dictating something, and often wanted to say several things at once, so it helped save time having more than one quill. And, since she was the only resident in that particular dorm room, she didn't have to worry about annoying anyone with the habit.

Ever since her very first year, Delia had an unintentional but completely undeniable knack for moving people out of whatever room she was in. Oh, it might take a week… once nearly two weeks before her dorm mate or mates would come up with some petty excuse or another to get out, but they did always leave. At first, Delia was rather hurt by it, but as a fourth year she now realized how much it was to her advantage and shrugged it off completely. This year, Scribe had set a pair of first years in the same room with her, hoping perhaps they wouldn't be so put off by Delia's outspoken habits. But three days later, Delia found the beds emptied and immediately began taking over the extra storage space until she felt quite at home.

"I really ought to get myself another quill now that I'm working on the newspaper too," she decided, glancing over at the tables and desks she had lined up side by side. "Make a note of that please. I need to order another quill to charm when I send out my post," Delia said, and the calendar quill quickly made a note. "I hope Father writes soon. I'm sure he must have received his copy of the _Veritable Wizard_ by now."

Sighing at the open window and seeing no sign of her owl, Delia made her way out of the house rooms and up to the journalism room to find Ambrose and several of the others already hard at work counting out stacks of newspapers and organizing them into stacks.

"Look, there's Delia now, I can get her to help," Ambrose said.

"What's up?" Delia asked, stifling a yawn.

"We need to get these copies to the Great Hall to distribute during breakfast," Dale explained.

"But not all the students show up for Saturday breakfast," Delia said, taking a stack from Ambrose.

"That's why we're sending a stack to each of the common rooms as well," he went on, handing a stack to Bobby.

"But I just came from there," Delia complained.

"That's all right. You can help me at breakfast, Delia, you take one side and I'll take the other," Ambrose said.

"Wait up a moment," Dale said and began handing everyone else stacks as well.

"I hope everyone likes my article," Delia said with a wistful sigh where Ambrose and she waited by the door.

"Oh, sure! I bet they will! I mean, being the first paper for the year and all, current events is really the only thing to read, really. All the other articles are about time changes in clubs and speculating how good the sports teams will be this year, since nothing's really happened yet in the school," Ambrose explained, "although I think Pimra's article on the Popcorn Farm looked really good too, don't you?"

"Oh, yes, she's all right in print, she's just so shy in person," Delia said.

"She's gotten much better since she's joined the order though," Ambrose started, and then suddenly felt uncomfortable. "But I think your article is splendid too, really. Everyone's bound to see it."

"Everyone is bound to see her article because it's on the same page as the Madame Mirth column," Bobby said, walking up with a stack of his own.

"Who does that column, anyhow?" Delia asked.

"Beats me. The only one I know of who knows who hasn't graduated is our dear editor, and our dear editor won't even tell me," Bobby said, looking over his shoulder to make sure his best friend heard him.

"Perhaps our dear editor is Madame Mirth," Delia conjectured, gazing at Dale who simply grabbed his own stack of newspapers, rolling his eyes.

"Has it even occurred to you that considering how many people we had to replace this year, that whoever did that column last year might have left?" Dale said. "That said, I'm rather put off by how many people have joined the staff after that column came out just because they wanted to figure out who might be doing it, so I for one plan on protecting that anonymity, and Professor Weasley agrees with me. Come to think of it, isn't that why you joined, Robert?"

"Well, yeah, I'll admit that much," Bobby grinned. "But I've stayed on because I like doing the sports column, especially since I know that the other person who wanted to do the column this year… who will remain nameless, but he was a Slytherin… hasn't got a clue how to write a football report, even if he could manage Quidditch."

"You know, we could do with separating those two. One of you could do one and one could do the other," Dale suggested.

"No way, I've got it," Bobby protested as the volunteers all began to walk to the Great Hall.

"All right, Bobby," Dale said. "But I think I'll still put him on it so you can have some camera help." Bobby gave him a dirty look but didn't say anything else as they walked to the Ravenclaw table.

"What articles do you do again?" Delia asked Ambrose as they walked to Hufflepuff.

"Oh, the choir column, and stuff for the order too, of course, like this one I did reminding folks to sign up for pen pals," Ambrose said. "Not much to report yet, but I'll have a better article soon about something else we're working on," he reassured her when she gazed at him skeptically. "Are you going to sign up for a pen pal?" Ambrose asked.

"Thinking about it," Delia decided. "Long as I don't have to buy a new quill for it."

"I don't see why you would have to," Ambrose shrugged in confusion, but then started handing papers out to eagerly waiting hands.

_Dear Madame Mirth;_

_ My parents and grandparents keep insisting on picking my classes for me, despite the fact that most of them I have no interest in, but I'm not sure I have the strength to explain it to them. I have a feeling if I even tried, they'd cut off my allowance. Any suggestions? Bored and Bothered._

_ Dear Bored; Take what you like and get a job. Madame Mirth._

_ Dear Madame Mirth;_

_ It seems like I'm living everyone else's life but my own. Even my time doesn't seem my own anymore. It's like everyone's using me, but I never feel like anyone really needs me all the while. It probably could be solved if I just learned how to say 'no,' but it doesn't seem to be in my vocabulary. What would you do if you were me? All Strings and No Scissors._

_ Dear All Strings: Instead of trying to say no, just try saying 'yes' to your own needs. If you give into yourself once in awhile, the other problem should sort itself out on its own. Madame Mirth._

_ Dear Madame Mirth;_

_ I've always had a lot of trouble relating to others. My parents assured me that once I got to Hogwarts it'd be easier to make friends, but it really hasn't been the case for me. What I really just want is someone to talk to my own age, but everyone seems turned against me. What should I do? Tired of Being Slighted._

_ Dear Tired: If you want to be heard, learn how to listen. Oh, and don't forget to sign up for a pen pal. Madame Mirth._

Delia frowned at the last entry hard for a moment, not bothering to read her own article to double check for typos like she had told the rest of the breakfast table she had been planning on doing.

"Is it just me, or does Madame Mirth seem more serious in her answers this year?" she said out loud. "Maybe it is someone new."

"I dunno," Ambrose shrugged, busy reading Delia's article in case she asked him about it. "To be fair, the questions seem quite a bit more serious than last year."

"Well, nobody really trusted that column last year," Winnie said, pushing her plate away a bit so she could get out some homework. By the time she brought her book up, her plate was gone. "Nobody took the column seriously, but now they seem to be."

"Let's just hope they don't take it too seriously," Cindy put in, Winnie looking up thoughtfully. "After all, it's still just a student's advice, and not someone really trained to offer their advice at all."

"So you're saying the advice in here is bad?" Ambrose wondered.

"Not at all. All of them have been quite reasonable, except for the obvious joke ones, of course," Cindy said. "I just hope that a student in real trouble doesn't go to Madame Mirth hoping for too much when they should be going to an advisor or something."

"I'm certain if something like that happened, Dale and Madame Mirth would at least take it to Professor Weasley," Lindsay reassured her.

"All the same, time wasted and all that," Cindy said. "But I'm sure you are right. I just hope Madame Mirth at least knows a cry for help when she hears one."

* * *

Delia was still thinking about it when classes resumed on Monday, plagued with wondering whom it might be.

"Make a list of the complete newspaper staff," she said when she got up that morning, glancing at the expectant pens. "You can do it, homework," she decided, and delightedly the pen scratched out the list. "I am going to try to go through it and eliminate who I can. I don't think it's Bobby, because he joined the staff afterwards. And then there's Ambrose, tied up with that order of his and ten on top of that. There is no way that Professor Weasley would have let a nine year old in that sort of position last year, and I doubt she'd let a ten year old either. Still, I wouldn't rule Dale out, even after that middle note in the column… that had to have been him," she mused, getting dressed. "I can see Lindsay or Laura doing it though, and they have the brains for it. Pimra? Unlikely. The girl can't speak a single sentence without stuttering something, even if she is good in print, I doubt she'd have the nerve to do it. And nobody in their right mind would ask any Atchison for advice," she added, nodding when the quill struck his name off the list as well.

"Oh well, tack that up for now, and we'll work on it. I need today's homework. I hope I didn't miss anything," she said, watching as the papers sorted themselves out. "I imagine we'll have another test in runes again over what we were supposed to memorize. What a slave driver the Headmaster is!" she exclaimed with exasperation, sorting over her papers to her study sheet and kept it on hand the rest of the day so she could go over it in between classes.

If only she found memorizing things as easy as she did casting them! In fact, she was tied with Ambrose for the top student in Charms class, and probably would have rated even higher if they were just being marked on casting tests only and not on the written as well… at least, she was pretty sure she could, she thought, nodding as if in confirmation when she looked at her room, for she had enchanted everything down to the last rubber eraser. None of the Professors' offices had a room quite so animated, with the possible exception of Weasley herself. Why none of the others bothered and chose to do all of those simple chores by hand rather baffled Delia. Perhaps they didn't have the same level of ability, she decided, strolling out to tackle the day.

Even if Charms was her undisputed best subject, Delia prided herself on doing well on all her subjects, even in Defense, where Professor Aurelius took some getting used to. She often wondered if his class was something close to what a military school might be like, even if she was rather glad he was going to be there when they began on a series of demonstrations in a couple of weeks. Nothing was likely to go disastrously wrong with a trained Auror in the room. But in many ways, Professor Aurelius was by far the strictest teacher in the school, even more than Headmaster Snape; who, for despite keeping very strict rules, at least let a student breathe every now and again.

Delia slid in her seat next to Ambrose, quite convinced by the time she got to Ancient Runes that she had the second list down pat, folding it up and putting it in her book before slipping it in her desk expectantly.

"So how do you think you did from last week?" Ambrose whispered to her. She shrugged at him, hearing movement near the door.

"Eyes front, Mr. Bailey," Snape said as he swept into the room with papers in hand. "I have here your tests from last week. Some were acceptable. Others were downright disappointing," he said, his eyes flicking unmistakably to Lucky who simply stared back at him dead on. "Since you will ultimately have to know these to pass this course, I have decided that you will note the ones you got wrong and write both the rune and its meaning out three times each. I realize for some of you that it is going to be a great deal of work," he said dryly, glancing at Lucky again. "But unless you want more, I suggest you do it right, especially in copying the runes correctly, even if we haven't gotten into appropriate technique yet. You'll also have normal homework, of course, but after all you do only have this class once a week. Speaking of homework, pass it up, please, and then we're going to have a test on what you were supposed to memorize for today. And let's not be all day about it? I plan to give you some study time for the majority of the period so I can get these marked before you leave here today, and it had better be an improvement. If not, you will be staying after class as long as I deem fit, since I know this is the last class you have this evening," he said, gathering the homework briskly and then passing out the tests.

Professor Snape drummed his fingers and watched them skeptically for a while to make certain no one was cheating before glancing through the homework. He squinted at one of the assignments thoughtfully for a moment, setting it aside for further perusal. Pausing to scrutinize each student, he then went through the rest, staring at one of the last ones with a baffled expression before putting it aside as well, stacking the others neatly together and making certain they were in alphabetical order with the exception of the two he had removed.

He seemed almost impatient to get the first tests in, unsurprised when Ambrose was one of the first, although a little surprised that Lucky came close behind. He sat and stared at hers for quite some time with a deep frown, distractedly tapping his desk as the rest came up. Then he began to sort the new tests in alphabetical order as well, inserting each into the proper order as they turned them in until he finally had them all.

"Read the next chapter thoroughly and do the exercises at the end of it. Then and only then can you start on your extra homework. I suggest you not skim it. It wouldn't be the first time I've had to give two tests in one class period when I've felt the class had used their study time inappropriately," he warned as he began going through the tests.

Delia glanced up nervously now and again, but despite the warning, she was having a very difficult time concentrating as she saw the wide range of expressions cross the Headmaster's face as he marked the tests. Quite a number of which Delia was surprised he was even capable of making, considering that she had very seldom seen Professor Snape make any expression at all short of extreme disapproval or an occasional eye roll when having to deal with some calamity in the Great Hall (usually involving the Coventry twins). But Delia witnessed both surprise and bewilderment, and once even a squint of suspicion as he looked at one of the tests and then at the homework he had pulled out earlier. Just then his eyes flicked up and looked at Delia dead on, and quickly she poured over the book in front of her, attempting to cram as much information as she could just in case he did decide to give another test. Shaking his head to himself, the Headmaster simply continued marking the tests.

When he finished marking, Professor Snape gave a short lecture on the different types of runes they had begun to delve into the week before, throwing in enough extra detail on the material that each one had to pause and copy a page of notes he scribbled on the board. At least he spent enough time on it that Delia was quite sure the Headmaster wasn't going to pull a last minute quiz after all.

"Next week, we will be going over these tests, as well as discussing certain Neolithic period finds. It is something that some of you will be covering in fifth year history within the month, but since we have so many underclassmen, we will touch upon it before we go into a discussion of early magic development and its effects on structures and runes in the period. Fifth years especially may benefit from reading ahead, but I'll leave that up to you," he said in a tone which seemed to sound as if he was unsure if leaving it up to them was a good idea or not. "Dismissed for now. Miss Agate, Miss Snape, I'd like to see you after class, if you don't mind."

"Uh oh, not good, Lucky, hope you have a will," Reggie whispered in a low voice as he gathered his books.

"You better have one written before I see you in the hall again," Lucky retorted darkly.

"Miss Snape, are you threatening people in my class?" Snape asked starkly when he saw her fist come up.

"No, Professor, I am threatening people after your class," Lucky said evenly. Ambrose snickered softly until he saw Snape turning to look at him and he decided to wait outside.

"You are still on my time, Miss Snape, and even if you weren't, if I catch you doing that sort of thing again during school hours, you're going to find yourself taking your aggression out on the weeds in Professor Sprout's greenhouses until Christmas. Now, if you don't mind? Mr. Weasley, don't you have something better to do than gloat? I would go to dinner while I still can, if I were you."

"Er… yes, Professor," Reggie said quickly and left, although he hadn't been gloating so much as watching the exchange curiously.

Delia couldn't help but wonder about the way it was handled herself. Why did the Headmaster stipulate 'during school hours' like that? It was almost as if he were saying she might now get in trouble for doing something like that at home, or did she just misread that? What would it be like to have two professor parents, she wondered.

"Miss Agate, would you please stop daydreaming and come over here?" Professor Snape sighed, and Delia hurriedly gathered her books and came up beside Lucky in front of his desk, Lucky's expression quite difficult to read. When she glanced back around, she saw that Snape's attention was on his daughter as well.

"Miss Snape, you had a perfect score this week. Quite a turn around considering you had the lowest score in the class for last week's test. A rather extreme improvement, don't you think?"

"I had a bad week last week," Lucky shrugged noncommittally.

"Fine. Don't let it happen again," Snape said warningly. Lucky didn't so much as nod, only met his gaze evenly. "Your homework had better be perfect next week."

"Sure, fine," Lucky said.

"Miss Agate, you did well both weeks, but I happened to notice that for some strange reason your handwriting on your tests is quite atrocious, and yet your homework is quite perfectly written… in fact, perhaps a little too perfect," Snape said.

"I get nervous during tests," Delia improvised quickly. "So I write fast."

"I see," Snape said, obviously not buying it. "I also noticed some strange mistakes made in your homework involving certain homonyms. From now on, I expect you to write your homework for this class by hand, Miss Agate. I don't care how poor your handwriting is, although I suggest you improve it before it starts showing up on your marks," he warned sternly.

"Yes, Professor," Delia said somberly.

"Fine, you're both dismissed, then," Snape said, watching the two girls go before shaking his head once more, staring at Lucky's paper again as he pondered what the old goblin could have said to the girl.

* * *

The two girls were so irritated when they sat down at dinner that their house tables gave them even more of a wide berth than usual. Even Reggie at Lucky's table and Ambrose at Delia's didn't dare to comment to them. Well, at least she only had a couple of runes wrong on her first test to copy, Delia thought as she walked up to her room. But as she wrote them out, she found herself worrying about whether or not the Headmaster was going to tell the other professors about she was doing and if they'd make her write them out as well.

But when she got to class the next day, she found that although it was obvious that they had found out about it, many of the teachers… the same ones that allowed dictation quills in their regular classrooms… didn't care one way or the other.

"Considering from your test scores you are obviously getting the material, why would I care what method you use?" Professor Craw chuckled after spotting the girl's nervousness and pulled her aside to reassure her. "If you know the formulas well enough to dictate to a quill, why would I worry? You're obviously not using a cheat pen, or it'd have shown up on your marks by now, at least in your lab work. Besides, it isn't as if the regular staff hadn't guessed what you were doing a long time ago, Delia. To be honest, it has been rather obvious. Oh… ah, but I would watch out for Professor Aurelius, if I were you," she added thoughtfully before grabbing a cup of coffee before class.

Sure enough, as she came up the stairs and tried to pass by Defense on her way to another class, she heard her name called and stopped short, peering in as Professor Aurelius searched through his desk and pulled out all of her homework, walking out and handing them to her.

"I'd like these recopied in your own writing, if you don't mind, and if you try to do anything like this again in my class, I'm going to ask your housemaster to confiscate your quill… make that quills," he corrected with a dangerous flash in his eyes when he saw she had more than one. "And that is ten points off Hufflepuff for pure laziness, and thanks for volunteering for my next demonstration as well."

"Yes, Professor," Delia said meekly. Aurelius gave her a very skeptical, unimpressed look before finally sighing with exasperation and storming back over to his desk. Delia sighed. This was quickly turning out to be a very bad week, she decided. And if it wasn't for the fact that she knew she had a Charms casting test, she would have given it all up for lost. Protection spells at that, an easy perfect score, she thought with a smile, and she also knew that Professor Weasley wasn't about to say a thing about her use of charmed quills.

As a matter of fact, the moment Delia walked in, Weasley simply shook her head and looked at Delia with a wry smile.

"You just had to use that thing for Professor Snape's class, didn't you?" Weasley said. Delia shrugged and grinned apologetically, but from the grin she received in return, Delia knew it was going to be all right. Standing near the front beside Ambrose, Lucky simply rolled her eyes. "All right, everyone! Take your places so I can set up the magic fields, please!" Delia quickly took her place on the other side of Ambrose, dropping her books on her desk but not bothering to sit since they would have to be standing for the test anyway.

Professor Weasley waited until the last of the students were in place walking over to a curtain and flipping a dragonhead lever that was hidden behind it. Delia used a finger to test the magic field in front of her, knowing it was quite effective at stopping any effects of spells coming out of their wands. Of course, that also meant if anyone did mess up their casting, they were likely to get the full brunt of their own backfire as well.

"Everyone may get his or her wand out now. We're going through the full range of protection wards and counterhexes we learned last year, so I hope if you have a weak spot, you've all used the week to practice," Weasley said, pulling out a clipboard and a quill. "Shall we begin? Cold!" she said, and immediately the cast flicked their wrists and cast their spells at the force fields in front of them. Delia looked smug, knowing just from the feel of the spell as it left her wand that she had cast it perfectly. Professor Weasley scanned the class, making a quick mark or two before continuing. "Heat! Water!"

Suddenly there was a chuckle behind her and Delia turned to see that Gary March had conjured up a roll of paper towels.

"All right, that's enough, Mr. March. Let's take this test seriously, if you don't mind?" she sighed disapprovingly.

"Yes, Professor Weasley," Gary smirked. "But it's so boring! Can't we speed it up a bit?"

"I'll remember that when you have your test on complex counterhexes before the holidays, Mr. March," Professor Weasley said. "But I will see what I can do to speed things up. Air! Earth! Lightning!" Delia blinked, completely taken by surprise by the order, for she had been expecting fire next. But after snap casting the fire protection spell, she quickly negated it and cast the correct one, wincing at herself and hoping that wasn't going to cost her a lot of points. "Ice! Infection!" Delia frowned, whipping out the spell but having to concentrate again. They had moved out of elements now, and Weasley hadn't even covered the most basic of protection spells? She was going to be quite annoyed if it cost her a letter, Delia thought to herself. She finished the rest of the spells on the test perfectly, while she saw Weasley stop once or twice to deduct from some of the others.

"Well done! You all did splendidly," Weasley said with a warm smile. "Especially Mr. Bailey and Miss Agate, of course, but from the looks of this test, I'd say everyone's more than ready for what I have in store this year," she said, tapping the clipboard with her wand and casting a quick spell to tally out the scores. "All right, let's go over the reading so I can assign your homework, and you can take a look at your scores on the way out."

Delia was so distracted by her flub that it was hard to concentrate, barely paying attention to more than scratching out what their assignment would be for the next day. Anxiously, she waited for everyone to be dismissed and lined up behind several students waiting to walk by the desk and see their marks. Ambrose simply flashed her a grin after seeing his, and then waited for Lucky, who gazed at hers before letting a rare smile creep across her face before joining him at the door. Delia frowned and stepped up, staring at the top of the list and blinked in surprise when she had received a perfect score. What? And after that obvious foul up? Surely Professor Weasley hadn't missed that. She was about to follow the rest of her housemates out of the room, when just before she got to the threshold, her conscious got the better of her and she stopped, watching the rest of her class glance at their marks and walk out before finally stepping back over to Professor Weasley's desk.

"Yes, Miss Agate?" Weasley said, sorting her desk for her next class.

"It's… well, it's about my test today. I don't think I deserve a perfect score, really, considering that I missed the protection from lightning spell."

"You did cast it, Miss Agate, I saw you," Weasley said evenly.

"Well, yes, but I cast something else before that you didn't call out," Delia said.

"True, but you corrected it when you saw it, after all. Really, students have erased or scratched out bad answers on a test before and put in the correct one, and as far as I'm concerned, that was no different," Weasley said with a smile. "Don't worry so much about it, Miss Agate, really. You did fine! Honestly, I can't remember the last time I had a student that worried as much about their mistakes as you do. Although… come to think of it, I was a bit like that myself," she murmured, and Delia finally grinned. "Well done, Miss Agate, see you tomorrow."

"Yes, Professor," Delia said and made her way out of the room. Weasley watched her go, feeling more than a little worried and trying to convince herself that those worries were probably unfounded.

* * *

Delia worked fervently recopying her homework, because the last thing she wanted to do was make Professor Aurelius any more irate than he always seemed to be. Why he acted like that, she wasn't quite sure. But the way he used his Truth Seeking abilities against the class and his decision to bring back the notorious 'fear drills' of years past did not endear his students at all. In fact, the only people who seemed not to mind the way he taught were related to him or had known him before he had decided to come to Hogwarts to fill in.

Delia also knew without a doubt that despite the fact he had stepped down from heading up the department of Aurors since the Headmaster's leave of absence the year before, he was anything but inactive. In fact, last weekend she had heard rumors of him coming in late Sunday and going straight over to Sagittari's with frostbitten face and hands, and then learned from her father that he had accompanied Harry Potter that weekend to retrieve a wayward parolee who apparently had not wanted to be found. How Aurelius ended up in bad shape when Harry came out of the encounter without a scratch… despite several apparent attempts by the dark wizard to impale him with icicles as big as stalactites… her father hadn't heard. Wondering if it wasn't just another one of her father's wild tales, Delia decided to take the story with a grain of salt. After all, what the professor did on the weekends was the least of her concerns, unless it was something that would lay him up for a few days. But no, he looked fine when he tracked her down about her homework, she thought glumly. Like it or not, she knew in all likelihood she was going to have to deal with Aurelius Snape every single Defense class without absence, regardless of what calamity he might have gotten himself in on the weekend.

"Yes, I'm still here, Miss Agate," Professor Aurelius said dryly when she dutifully turned in her homework, grimacing slightly that he had noticed what she had been thinking about. "And no, I'm afraid I'm not allowed to teach Occlumency at Hogwarts, so you'll just have to learn how to deal with me or figure out how to block thoughts on your own. And as for whether or not you'll find any books in the library on that, Mr. March, I have no idea, but honestly I think you'd be better off just studying your Defense instead of trying to work against me."

"Especially now," he continued, focusing on the entire class. "For as you know, we are getting into the chapter on malicious fire spells. As such, I have been given special permission by the Headmaster to teach you a dark spell which will neutralize a great number of these spells in which heat is as much of a factor as the fire itself, rendering many water spells useless, since they'd simply create steam which might kill you anyhow. Being that it is a dark spell, please be aware that using it outside this classroom for anything other than a dire emergency and the way I'm about to teach you will probably have legal consequences as well as school consequences, because we will be learning a basic version of the Suffocation spell." A soft murmur broke out from sheer surprise.

"The Suffocation spell? Isn't that also called the Life Deprivation Curse?" Delia said, her voice carrying over the others. "But why would we even have to learn that? It's considered a death spell. It's dangerous, and wouldn't Extinguish work just as well? In fact perhaps better, since it only works on fire, where the other…"

"Miss Agate," Aurelius snapped, and Delia suddenly blinked, realizing everyone else had gotten silent, and she was still talking. Delia shrunk it her seat. "All spells are dangerous, regardless of which house of magic they are labeled under. And what I choose to teach and not to teach is up to myself and the Headmaster, not you, and that's fifteen points for the outburst. Now," he said, turning and lighting three braziers behind him. "Who would like to go first? Oh, Miss Agate would, I see."

Delia hadn't had her hand up but knew better than to argue, repeating the spell several times and then separately practicing the wand movements at his instruction before finally stepping over to the brazier, and despite having to hold the spell a rather long time to actually get it strong enough to work, still somehow managed to get it on the first try.

"A little less hesitation next time, Miss Agate?" Aurelius sighed at her, the smug look on her face waning instantly. "Everyone line up… yes you too, Miss Snape. Mr. Bailey, you next."

Delia took her seat and propped her head up in her arms, watching as the others tried it, some only meeting with limited success. Those who couldn't manage it or couldn't get it past smoldering were told to get back in line, but Ambrose, who got it on the first try and even more quickly than she did, grinned triumphantly and sat back down next to her.

"Just concentrate on vacating the air around the fire, Lucky," Aurelius told her when he saw her hesitate. "Don't worry, just cast it," he said, nudging her up. But Lucky simply looked at it a moment, made a half-hearted gesture at the fire, then walked herself to the back of the line.

"She didn't even try," Ambrose whispered with a sigh.

"Maybe she just doesn't feel comfortable casting a dark spell. I know I don't," Delia whispered back.

"Pipe down, Miss Agate, or do you want to lose more points?" Aurelius frowned at her, waving another student to sit down so he could start on the second round, and several more who had fizzled or had limited success the first time around had gotten better results. Lucky, who managed to actually mouth the words the second time, still didn't look to be holding her wand right. "You're not even trying, Miss Snape, you're just going through the motions," he said in annoyance. "I'm not letting you sit down unless you at least make an attempt. Mr. Talbert, ignore her, just go," Aurelius said, pushing her back with the three others that didn't meet his approval. But Beau was able to snuff it out this time, and was grateful to sit down considering the remaining four were now getting eye rolls and the occasional smirk from those who had been sitting down from the beginning. "All right, one more time, if you don't mind? Let's not be all night about this, I do have another class you know," Aurelius said irritably, not even commenting on the jeers coming from the other students now, since in some ways, they deserved to be jeered at. Lucky especially took note of the ones laughing, making mental notes on who all to get even with later. Finally she felt a tug on her sleeve and looked up to see Aurelius standing there with a fixed look on his face and realized she was the only one up there now. "Do, it, Miss Snape, and don't embarrass yourself this time, just expel the damn air," Aurelius said, lighting the brazier again.

_"Expulsum!" _ Lucky intoned, snapping her wand at the brazier. Just as it had with Delia, it seemed quite a while before anything happened at all. Finally it let out a puff of smoke and wavered a moment, before suddenly surging up even brighter than it had been before. Lucky muttered under her breath in Spanish.

"There, you see? You can cast that spell, so I expect better cooperation in the future, Miss Snape," Aurelius said firmly. "Go back to your seat now. We will be practicing that spell every class from now until every member of this class can cast it without hesitation, and I don't care if it takes us all year. I suspect you'd best get used to prepping for tests on your own in the meantime, because we're certainly not going to have time for reviews. If you want to practice on your own, you'll have to arrange time with me so that it's supervised, you might want to consider it… especially you four," Aurelius said, his eyes darting disapprovingly out into the class. Only Lucky looked at him dead on before he finally turned to assign them homework.

"Wasn't that all very odd?" Delia said when they finally parted ways with Lucky as they walked towards Herbology.

"All what, Delia?" Ambrose asked.

"That whole bit with Professor Aurelius, of course. Everything I've read in the book recommends to use extinguish except in the rarest of cases, and then it goes with the bury spell as a substitute," Delia said.

"No school book is going to recommend a death spell as an option, Delia," Ambrose chuckled, shaking his head. "But Aurelius is a real Auror. He's seen it all, really, and if he thinks this is the best option for us, it probably is, you know."

"Maybe, but I get the feeling there was a lot more to it than that," Delia said. "And what do you suppose was going on with Lucky? I would have thought he'd have jumped on her the first time around. And then he let her sit down when everyone else who got such poor results had to keep trying."

"Oh, well, yeah, that didn't surprise me, really. Look, Delia, it's nothing that she's willing to really talk about, but I heard Lucky mention to Lindsay that her family died in a fire too. I think she's kinda scared of it really. She's always been intimidated by any sort of fire spell. Aurelius knows that, and I'm sure the rest of the staff do as well by now. Now do you understand?"

"No! Because now it makes even less sense than before! Why wouldn't he teach us the extinguish spell? Surely it'd help her get over it. Why would Professor Weasley intentionally skip the fire protection spell unless… oh no! Unless she couldn't cast it! Ambrose! Don't you realize what it means? She's a fire sensitive! She can't cast any direct spells against fire because she can naturally create it at will! That also explains why none of the schools in the States would take her! Lucky is a Pyro!" Delia said. Ambrose felt his heart drop into his stomach.

"What? That... that's just an awful thing to say!" Ambrose stammered.

"You're saying that because she's your friend, but you know it too, I can see it," Delia said. "That's probably why she doesn't like fighting with spells, either. She's afraid things will get out of hand. Ambrose, you don't think she might have… her family, I mean… accidentally…"

"No… no, I refuse to believe it, even if she is… a fire sensitive. She couldn't have," Ambrose said insistently.

Suddenly the two of them felt hands over their mouths as Andrew suddenly appeared behind them.

"Over here, Rel! I found the problem!" Andrew shouted down the hall, and within seconds Aurelius barreled around the corner with a look of intense worry on his face.

"Don't tell me this is my fault," Aurelius muttered when he saw who it was. "How bad is it?" he asked, running up.

"Bad," Andrew admitted. "It's about Lucky."

"That much I knew already. I should never have taught them that spell," Aurelius said angrily.

"You had to teach them something, Rel, it's hardly your fault." Andrew said quietly.

"Apparently Weasley recently had a test on protections too and Delia noticed the omission of the fire protection spell," Aurelius sighed.

"See? It would have come out eventually," Andrew said.

"But Lucky isn't ready yet!" Aurelius snapped, looking between them. Andrew slowly pulled away his hands, putting them on their shoulders instead.

"Are you going to take our memories away?" Delia asked.

"We couldn't even if we wanted to," Andrew reassured her.

"That's not something either of us are prepared to do," Aurelius added firmly. "How long do you have before class, Andrew?"

"They are probably already in there waiting for me. Want me to cancel it?" Andrew asked.

"No, I have a conference, I'll handle it. And stop by Sprout's class, they were heading to Herbology."

"Right," Andrew sighed, and hurried down the hall.

"Come on, you two, it seems we're in for a long talk," Aurelius said, leading them the other direction.


	14. Making Allowances

Chapter Fourteen

Making Allowances

It had taken the entire hour before Aurelius was entirely convinced they were not going to pry, although admittedly it took a great deal less time for him to be assured that both were willing to keep it a secret. Despite Delia's reputation, the girl seemed sincere, and obviously had some idea of how serious things were.

As it turned out, it ended up working to her benefit in the end. Aurelius knew that Lucky would have to be told of the two Hufflepuffs' involvement and called her straight in, knowing Lucky would be less than thrilled about Delia being pulled in. Lucky took the news with a cold, reserved expression; her lips thin and white despite the fact that under the surface she was anything but calm. But she simply nodded in resignation and asked to go to dinner, and when the three of them began to walk for the Great Hall, she suddenly changed her mind and wanted to go to the library instead.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Delia asked. She glanced questioningly at Ambrose, wondering if he saw something that she didn't, for Lucky often acted this way around her.

"Like anything's really changed?" Lucky said acidly.

"Well, I suppose not, it's just… no, I don't suppose it has, has it?" Delia said, thinking about it.

"Come on, Ambrose," Lucky said, shrugging the girl off and kept walking down the corridor. Delia folded her arms, wishing she had somewhere to turn before she finally wandered into the Great Hall by herself.

"You don't trust her much, do you?" Ambrose asked quietly.

"Why do ya keep askin' questions ya know the answer to, Bill?" Lucky said irritably.

"Well, I was just thinking… well, Lucky, it'd be a lot easier to keep track of what she's up to and who she's talking to and stuff if she were in the order," Ambrose pointed out. Lucky stopped short and stared at him for a long time before her shoulders finally slumped and she put her hands in her pockets.

"Fine, you win," Lucky sighed. "I'll change my vote and see if I can't get Connie to change hers too." Ambrose smiled at her.

"It's going to be okay, Lucky, you'll see. Don't worry about it. It's not the end of the world, you know. That was years ago," Ambrose said. Lucky gave him a dirty look, following him down the hall.

* * *

Jennifer stared up at the ceiling of the bedroom for a while before she finally slipped out of bed and tiptoed out of the room, throwing on her night robe and slipping out the lower door with a candlestick in hand. The sounds of the castle were deadened in the still of the night. Many of the paintings were snoring, while open windows let in the occasional sound of wings flapping and the smell of the lake. It was silly to worry, perhaps, when everything was so peaceful, but one glance at her youngest daughter was all it had taken for Jennifer to realize that things were coming to a head, and all the sudden the Gryffindor rooms felt so very far away.

She raised her candle at the door to see the Fat Lady blinking awake, yawning tremendously to the point that Jennifer was half afraid she might wake up singing.

"Oh, it's you, Professor Craw, is something wrong?" she finally got out, stifling another yawn.

"Um… no, not exactly. I was rather wondering if all were accounted for?"

"At this time of night they had better be," the Fat Lady said with amusement. "Yes, Professor, all accounted for and in their beds, although really, isn't it rather late for this sort of bed check?"

"Yes, I'm sure it is," Jennifer sighed. "Are they all asleep?" the Fat Lady tilted her head curiously. "Actually… more specifically, I was wondering if Lucky was asleep."

"Why? Did you want me to fetch her?" she asked.

"Oh, no. No, it's just… nothing, it's nothing," Jennifer said at last, thinking for a moment before she finally went further down the stairs, stepping into the Trophy Room. Finally she crept back up to the ninth floor and slipped in her sitting room door, murmuring a silence spell on herself before inching back into bed, the snoring wonder beside her apparently not even realizing that she had left at all.

* * *

Constance Weasley had woken up several nights to soft sobs. In fact, it was beginning to be a habit. Then last night, she could have sworn she heard Lucky talking to someone… or even several someones, but she had been so tired that by the morning she wondered if she had imagined it.

But bright and early Saturday, Lucky was up and apparently ready to make a full day of it, feeding Houdini and digging through the closet for her ball, already dressed in her Gryffindor football uniform by the time Connie groggily woke up.

"Come on, Connie! I gotta work off some energy, and I promised Boulderdash I'd be in the library early today so we could work on some things," Lucky said.

"But today is Quidditch tryouts," Connie complained.

"Yeah, and tomorrow's football tryouts," Lucky said, bouncing the ball off her knee impatiently.

"Well, yes but… I'd rather like to try out for Quidditch this year," Connie admitted. Lucky caught the ball and glared at her.

"Fine, I'll go practice on my own then," Lucky said.

"Wait, Lucky, don't be like that! Here, I'll go along long enough to warm up at least. It'll probably help me get ready," Connie said, kicking the covers off. Lucky stopped by the door with a sigh, and then began bouncing the ball again.

"I hope you don't plan to be all day about those stupid tryouts. We got an important meeting tonight, you know," Lucky complained.

"I know, although I'm still not sure this deal of yours is fair. Are you sure you want to go through with it?" Connie said skeptically. But Lucky simply nodded, still tossing the ball around.

"You vote Delia in, I'll vote for Reggie," Lucky nodded.

"All right, but I still don't understand why you changed your mind," Connie said. Lucky simply shrugged. "I've always thought her a bit of a flake, and I thought you did too."

"Just get ready to go out, _chica,_ I don't want to talk about it," Lucky said. "All I really need is a few good hours outside with something to kick around for awhile."

"Well, just as long as it isn't me," Connie grinned, following her out.

But after ducking a couple of Lucky's shots, Constance wisely decided to simply help retrieve the ball rather than risk bodily injury trying to guard the net. After that, she lost track of time in endless ball retrievals and pausing to fix an occasional flat. In fact, they were still there when Quidditch tryouts let out, and Laura, Lindsay, Bobby and Gary all wandered over to the makeshift Pitch wondering where Connie was knowing she had been planning to go.

Lindsay, who had seen Lucky like this before, simply stopped short and watched, aware that on the other side of the pitch stood Librarian Boulderdash, who apparently was watching as well, his arms crossed thoughtfully.

"What is she trying to do? Break the net down?" Gary asked.

"Really, I swear the girl could kick cannon balls, couldn't she?" Bobby agreed.

"Something must be really wrong," Laura said. "Maybe someone should go try to talk to her?"

"No, I wouldn't. It's better to leave her alone when she gets like this, trust me," Lindsay advised. "Look, let's just head to lunch. They're sure to come in soon, especially with Boulderdash out here looking after things."

"Apparently he's not the only one, either," Bobby said, the others following his gaze to see where Madame Brittle stood behind the Quidditch stands, watching from a distance.

"It's only further proof that something's wrong, or they wouldn't be watching her so carefully," Gary said.

"True, but perhaps Lindsay's right. Let's be good friends and not pry unless we're asked," Laura decided. "We can show support without prying, you know."

"Well, if there is a way to do that, I haven't the foggiest idea how," Gary said as the group turned inside.

"That's a Gryffindor for you," Lindsay teased, Gary sticking his tongue out her in response as they walked.

Boulderdash exchanged a glance with Danny before turning to watch the group of students head back inside, each one looking back at random times before finally disappearing indoors. It was then that he finally walked onto the pitch, waving distractedly at some of the students warily practicing on near the other net before finally approaching the two girls.

"Good morning, although really, it's rather close to afternoon," Boulderdash said when Lucky finally looked up. Connie grabbed the ball and walked over to them. "Did you forget we were going to meet early today to work on that personal goal of yours?"

"Didn't forget, just didn't know how late it was," Lucky shrugged.

"Did tryouts already let out?" Connie asked, then realized when she saw Madame Brittle by the stands that it had.

"I believe so, for I saw some our fellow order members heading inside just a few moments ago from the Quidditch Pitch," Boulderdash admitted.

"Oh, well, there's always next year, I guess, this was more fun anyway," Connie said unconvincingly. "I am getting hungry, though, aren't you, Lucky? I'm not used to skipping breakfast."

"In that case, perhaps it's high time we got to the Owl Room, to eat if nothing else," Boulderdash advised. "We still have an hour before choir gets out, although I doubt you'll have time to do more than eat before that big meeting of yours. I don't suppose you'd agree to meet with me afterwards, Miss Snape? I was going to visit my brother and his family tomorrow, so I only have today."

"Sure, fine," Lucky shrugged.

"Good. If your meeting lasts after dinner, though, we'll have to continue from the gym. I have a very small window open of when I can use it privately, and I'd rather not sacrifice my hour if I can help it," Boulderdash said.

"Really, why is that?" Connie asked. "I mean, I didn't know there was any sort of schedule for that gym, short of sparring club."

"It's simply there to minimize certain unpleasantries, Miss Weasley," Boulderdash said dryly. "Not everyone in Hogwarts is so keen on having a goblin in the building… and in some cases, the feeling is reciprocated," he added in a lower tone.

"What? But you've been working here for simply ages! And I for one couldn't imagine you not being here." Connie said.

"Me either," Lucky agreed. "Anybody who don't like it should be shown the door, if you ask me."

"Thank you both, although sometimes things aren't quite as simple as that. If only they were," he said with a snarling smile. "But life can get quite complicated around here at times."

"You can say that again," Lucky snorted.

* * *

Delia piled her books on one of the tables between the librarian's desk and the door to the Order of Owls, pretending to study while actually intently watching as members filed in, not the least of which was Librarian Boulderdash himself escorting Lucky and Connie. They both threw her dirty looks as they passed by, but Delia instantly became absorbed in her Ancient Magic assignment. She glanced over at Reggie behind the desk, but he seemed to be ignoring the whole thing. In fact, once he had seen Boulderdash pass, he even seemed to be ignoring his work, having apparently folded a magazine in a book and was reading it instead. Delia sighed and shook her head at him, then looked thoughtfully at the door again, wondering if everyone had gone in. Time seemed to be going excruciatingly slow, and reluctantly she tried to concentrate on her books until finally Dale, Winnie and Ambrose walked through. Ambrose gave her a grin and a reassuring wink as the three of them went inside.

But Delia still felt nervous… so nervous, in fact, that she couldn't stand it anymore and set her books down, walking over to the librarian desk.

"How are you managing to stay so calm at a time like this?" Delia hissed at him. Reggie looked up with a blink.

"At a time like what?" Reggie asked.

"You know!" Delia said, nodding her head. Reggie nodded in time with hers.

"Not a clue," Reggie said. "Can't you go find someone your own age to play with? I'm busy."

"Right, I see how busy you are," Delia snorted, shaking her head. "Don't you know what they're doing in there?"

"Who cares?" Reggie said, rolling his eyes. "Now, sit down and go back to studying before I write you up for being loud and obnoxious in the library."

"Fine, be that way! I hope they vote you out," Delia said, lifting her chin and stomping over to her desk.

Reggie was contemplating if 'stomping obnoxiously' would count for point loss or not when he found himself wondering exactly what she meant by that last remark. But it wasn't long before Boulderdash stepped back out, eyeing Reggie disapprovingly as he attempted to hide his magazine in a panic.

"Where is Miss Hampton?" he asked.

"Putting away books, sir," Reggie said.

"Well, fetch her up to watch the desk. It appears that we're going to have to rearrange your schedule, Mr. Weasley, since you'll be needed in the back on Saturday afternoons, and I certainly can't fill in for you," Boulderdash sneered. "Unless you don't want to be in the Order of the Owl, of course."

"Oh. Well, I don't see why I should want to be, come to think of it, considering there certainly aren't any sixth or seventh years in it. I'm sure I could probably find better uses for my time," Reggie said. Boulderdash gazed at him sternly for a moment before holding up the magazine by the tip of the corner with apparent disgust.

"You mean like wasting your brain on this, Mr. Weasley?" Boulderdash asked. Delia blinked when she noticed the picture of a winsome witch on the cover, apparently wearing nothing but a tactfully cast fog spell that drifted flirtatiously across her bare skin.

"I'll uh… go find Sharon," Reggie decided.

"Good idea," Boulderdash said dryly. He opened his office door and tossed it inside, still shaking his head. "Studying hard, Miss Agate?" he suddenly inquired, and Delia immediately put her nose in a book, not quite certain if he bought her enthusiasm or not. But he made no further comment, turning his attention back to his two aids as they walked up together, having a few words behind the desk with them before finally letting Reggie go to the back, following close behind.

Delia frowned and sighed in frustration. How could they possibly let someone like _him_ in? Surely those Gryffindors could do better than that, she thought to herself, and then began to wonder what was taking so long. Perhaps Ambrose was wrong, then? Perhaps she wasn't going to be considered after all. It wasn't as if she had many friends. In fact, the more she thought of it, the more she realized that she had had words with practically everyone in there at one time or another. Of course, Ambrose would vote for her, and Lucky wouldn't dare vote against her now, but what about everyone else?

It was about the time that Delia had herself completely convinced that she didn't have a chance of hell in ever getting in there that the door of the Owl Room opened and Ambrose poked his head out and looked around. Then he broke into a grin.

"Boulderdash said you were out here! Coming in?" Ambrose asked.

"Really?" Delia said.

"Really, really!" Ambrose agreed, and Delia smiled with such obvious relief that Ambrose grinned even wider. He helped her with her books when she got to do the door, stepping in behind him and glancing around. She couldn't help but be mildly disappointed after all her fanciful imaginings of the place. It was really nothing more than a large storeroom with a long table and a damaged old desk in it. It was, in fact, rather ordinary, except for a rather ornate wooden and glass box that appeared to have several feathers clinging to the very bottom of the glass. "Welcome, Delia! Have a seat!"

"And about time, too," Lindsay said with such a grin that Delia felt more at ease.

"We've been holding out for you," Winnie explained, pulling a chair out for her to sit down in. Across the room, Delia noticed that Dirk and Helena were both eying her skeptically. Neither of them seemed too glad to see her, while everyone else seemed more or less warm to her presence except for Connie, who gave her a forced smile, and Lucky, who simply nodded to her expressionlessly. But Delia smiled wanly at her in return as she took a seat, realizing now that Lucky's defensive reaction was anything but personal.

"Finally, a full house!" Ambrose said cheerfully. "And perfect timing, too, because we have a lot to do, and a fountain to build! Oh, and I have some news too. Professor Snape told me that if we can get a satisfactory design to him, he will pay for the removal of the old fountain and any preparation work that needs done to the courtyard for the project. We simply have to pay for the project itself, through fundraisers and such."

"Fair enough," Dale said. "How much are we looking at, Ambrose?"

"Oh, um, haven't the foggiest yet…"

"How do you feel about a three tier fountain with a bronze figurine on the top and mosaic tiles around the base of the main statue in which we can have names and dates engraved?" Lucky asked. Boulderdash raised an eyebrow.

"Right splendid if you ask me," Ambrose said enthusiastically.

"Wait. We're going to have this goblin made, correct?" Reggie said with a frown. "Because if so, that sounds really expensive."

"Yeah, somewhat," Lucky admitted. "Wanna see the early estimates?" Lucky said, pulling out some paperwork to pass around. Boulderdash curiously got up and walked over, looking over Ambrose's shoulder.

"Wow, that much?" Ambrose gawked at it.

"That little, you mean," Boulderdash said, tweaking the paper from him and studying it a moment. "Miss Snape, how in blazes did you manage this sort of estimate from Gritbiter and Sons? In goblin terms, this price could be considered charity, and that is something that company is not known for, as Professor Snape can attest to when he had them put in those shelves in the staff library."

"Eh, a little string pullin', a little comparin' prices and quotin' em back an' forth to the interested parties, and a side deal that compensates the low profit margin," Lucky shrugged. "When my pen pal and me we were talking assets, Eyecleaver mentioned his father had holdings in construction, so I did some digging and went from there."

"Oh?" Boulderdash squinted. "And just what sort of side deal are you referring to?"

"Oh that. I just Owled Professor Craw's father and got his accountant to set up a deal to sell the Gritbiter company unprocessed gold at a guaranteed ten percent below the Goblin Gold Standard Rate for one year or up to a certain weight maximum," Lucky shrugged. Boulderdash stared at her openly.

"Lucky, if you ever need a job after you get out of school, make sure you look up my father's company," Atchison said sincerely when he saw the numbers. Lucky grinned at him, turning to look them over again.

"Even still, it's an awful lot for us to come up with, isn't it? Any suggestions on how we're going to do it?" Ambrose said, frowning at how impressed everyone was when the total looked extremely daunting to him.

"I would suggest first we consult Professor Weasley about it," Reggie spoke up. "She is, after all, in charge of the school's regular fund raisers, so she may be able to give us some ideas we wouldn't normally think of. Maybe we can get some sort of list together and go from there."

"I agree, that would be a good place to start," Laura said, nodding approvingly.

"And if all else fails, we just have Dale set up a kissing booth just before every Quidditch game," Bobby said mischievously, Dale scowling at him in response.

"Well, I'm in," Connie said when Lucky rolled her eyes.

"Sure, why not?" Helena grinned, Pimra nodding in agreement.

"Oh, I'm definitely in," Laura said.

"Works for me," Delia said.

"Me too," Beth said.

"And me," Lindsay said, earning such a dirty look from Bobby that she giggled nervously.

"And I'm out," Dale said firmly, receiving a simultaneous whine of disappointment from most of the girls around the table. Lucky shook her head in disgust. "Sorry, I have enough problems in my life right now without that," he chuckled. Ambrose grinned at him.

"Let's go with Reggie's idea," Ambrose said.

"And if Professor Weasley's got some sort of record of how much each of those types of fund raisers have gotten in the past so we can know what to expect, that'd help too," Lucky put in, Reggie staring at her in confusion. "You know, to get an estimate so we don't waste our time with fundraisers that don't meet our criteria and can't produce the allotted amount considering our time constraints."

"Congratulations, Lucky, you just volunteered to go with me," he said flatly.

"I'll see about setting you both up with an appointment," Boulderdash chuckled, when Lucky's glower finally turned to a shrug of resignation. Just as well, Lucky thought to herself, for she knew she really couldn't trust Reggie to get that sort of information on his own, it would be in one ear and out the other. But she was glad that she didn't have to worry about it for a few days, for she knew Weasley wouldn't be available at least until Monday.

As Lindsay took Reggie and Delia aside to go over order rules and what was expected of them, the rest broke up into their study groups. Lucky was very glad to have plenty of homework to bury herself in, for it was unlikely that anyone would want to talk to her about anything else for awhile. Connie and Ambrose, in turn, were very glad that Lucky seemed to have come out of her depression from that morning and ready to take care of what needed to be done.

* * *

Jennifer rose just before dawn and swiftly got dressed, checking the contents of her pockets before slipping out the door and straight down the back stairs to her office. She glanced around the room thoughtfully before pulling on the statuettes above the mantelpiece until the hearth slid back and the Cauldron swiveled into place. By the time she got a bowl, she smelled the aroma of coffee and saw wisps of steam coming off of the pot on the service tray behind her. Letting out a grateful sigh, she got herself a cup, taking only a spoon of porridge and several gulps of coffee before pulling out her research and looking it over.

"Mom?" called a voice from above her.

"There you are," Jennifer sighed, putting down her quill. "How is she?"

"Well, she's sleeping better tonight… sort of," the painting of Corey reported from Severus' portrait. Severus simply shook his head disapprovingly before nodding off against the wall again. "See, she was up late studying and she fell asleep at her desk. I guess she was too tired to dream."

"Well, that's a mercy at least, poor girl," Jennifer sighed.

"Can't you just give her a sleeping potion for a few nights?" young Corey asked worriedly.

"Not without raising a lot of uncomfortable questions, no," Jennifer said. "Really, she needs to come to us, or at least she needs to come to someone."

"She's awful stubborn, Mom. Even worse than Danny was, and that's saying a lot," Corey said.

"Yes, yes, I know," Jennifer sighed. Corey suddenly paused and looked around, as if he were staring at something out of frame.

"Uh, oh. The old dragon woke up," Corey warned. "I think he might be on his way down."

"Better make yourself scarce, then, Corey, you know he can get down here awful quick when he wants to," Jennifer said, and then wondered if she had heard a noise coming from the lab. She quickly put her spectacles on and turned back to her work.

A moment later there was a soft knock. The door opened and Severus stepped in, gazing at her with a questioning, almost disapproving frown.

"Up early, are we?" he asked.

"Good morning, Severus, have some coffee. I suppose you don't want porridge," she added, and he grimaced at the offer. "I promised Danny I'd do security for the football tryouts this morning and I have an open lab scheduled this afternoon, so I figured I had better get up early if I were going to get anything else done today. Care to see my current lab results? I think you'll find them promising."

"Hm," Severus said, but went over to the table and took the papers from her.

"I have them all up to date now. The only blanks are some of the longer term questions I've asked the Obol, but as you can see, I have been able to negate quite a few of them."

"And some, I see, you chose to play out as you saw them."

"Yes, true, Severus, but I rather liked how they played out in certain circumstances. And after all, I did chose to follow it, really, it isn't as if I couldn't have stopped it," Jennifer said, Severus glancing at her thoughtfully before handing it back. "I think for the next phase, I want to do some professional interviews with Icarus, Essie, and Sagittari before I continue with these, especially Essie, whom we know for a fact has used her ability to change certain events, and… well, Ick, who tried to change it and ended up creating the opposite effect."

"Just be sure you're not doing the same with some of these experiments of yours, Jennifer. You may want to follow up on these results."

"Well, some of these would be hard to follow up on. Perhaps I'll send you some questions that might lead to a chain of events that would be easier to gauge…"

"Purely professional questions, Jennifer, and not one involving family," Severus warned.

"Of course not, Severus," Jennifer said with feigned surprise before accepting the research papers back.

"Speaking of family concerns, how is Lucky?"

"You know as well as I do, Severus," Jennifer said.

"Really? You actually got up early to check on her again, did you not? In fact, you've been losing sleep over it all week," Severus said knowingly.

"Oh, come now, Severus, don't you think you're imagining things? I simply got up early because I have a lot to do today…" she began, but then stopped short when he put a hand in front of her face and plucked her spectacles off her nose.

"Now, shall we try that again?" Severus said, folding them up and putting them on the desk.

"Fine, I'll admit to being quite concerned lately. Aren't you concerned?" Jennifer asked.

"No more than I always have been, Jennifer. The problems haven't changed any," Severus said gently.

"Well, yes, but it's going to all start coming out. Ambrose and Delia know already…"

"They still don't know the whole story, and in a way I think the fact they understand that Fortuna is a fire sensitive is to her benefit, for she has someone her own age to talk to about it. Not that I expect she would ever confide in Delia, but over time she might confide in Ambrose now that they've grown close again."

"Maybe," Jennifer murmured. "But she's so afraid right now, afraid everything's going to come out. Her nightmares have gotten worse, too."

"Now, how would you know that?" Severus frowned.

"I've been consulting the paintings about it, if you must know," Jennifer said. Severus sighed with exasperation. "I'm sorry, Severus, but… she seems so far from me at night for some reason. In some ways, she seems to get farther every day. I rather miss her just being up the stairs, like at home, when I can check on her whenever I like."

"Jennifer, she is only a few floors down. She is hardly unprotected by any standards, and not without places to turn when she's ready," Severus said. Jennifer sighed. "Not to mention she's not in denial anymore."

"That only makes the situation more perilous for her, Severus," Jennifer said.

"Yes, perhaps, but not as perilous as it would have been for her to keep those feelings bottled up as they have been. In fact, I rather think the way she's behaving is a good sign, Jennifer, not a bad one. Her anger and fear must come out somehow, whether it is in dreams or out there on the football field, and yes, even through the occasional swing at someone or another," he added, earning a dirty look from Jennifer. "Considering what that girl is capable of, it is most definitely the lesser of evils. I often find myself marveling at the restraint that girl has developed over the last few years."

"Every single match she's lost in sparring has been because of restraint, as a matter of fact," Jennifer admitted softly, gazing at the bubbling Cauldron distractedly. "But what if the restraint she's developed is holding her back, Severus, and in more ways than one?"

"Let me worry about that, Jennifer. Her talents are Ancient Magic in nature, after all. And I think we should probably go with Boulderdash's suggestion of how to help her deal with her anger more effectively, and it's in a way I think will ultimately boost her confidence," Severus murmured. "And now that football practice will be starting up, Danny will also be keeping a careful eye on her."

"Yes, I know," Jennifer sighed. "But I still wish she were closer at night," she added, ignoring the disapproving look he gave her. "Well, I do," she said with a weak smile.

"She is nearly fifteen, Jennifer," Severus said quietly.

"Yes, and in three more years, she'll be out of our lives and on her own," Jennifer said, hugging her arms to her chest.

"And by then she'll have worked a great deal of this fear and anger out and will be quite ready for what the world has to offer her," Severus reassured her firmly. "She is a fighter, after all."

"Yes," Jennifer said. "It's just… I just feel so very lonely, Severus…"

"There is no reason," Severus sighed, pulling her to him close, holding on to her tightly. "How could you possibly be? Between myself and class you are hardly ever alone except for the times you go out of your way to seek solitude. I think it would be easier to feel crowded than lonely. Although, I suppose I have been rather busy with the extra classes, haven't I? Perhaps we should start doing forms together as we used to, or perhaps we have time for a walk around the lake or something before you have to worry about security, considering how early it is…"

"No, Severus, it's not that," Jennifer reassured him, pulling away even to look at his concerned face. "Well, I admit I would like it if did have time for such things, but that's not exactly what I meant by being lonely. It's… it's deeper than that, somehow."

Severus gazed at her searchingly until at last his gaze gentled.

"I don't suppose this has anything to do with that tick-tick-ticking sound?" he murmured.

"I don't know," Jennifer whispered, but then thought about it and shrugged, smiling weakly again. "Perhaps in a way it does, come to think of it." Severus' shoulders relaxed.

"In that case, perhaps being cooped up in this castle is probably not the best thing for you today. Why don't you go to Corey's for the morning? I'm sure it's impossible to feel any sort of lonely in that house. Then perhaps you can have lunch with Alicia at the deli or something, and pop home to see Alex for the afternoon. I will handle things here," he suggested.

"But don't you have a board meeting to prep for?" Jennifer frowned, and Severus rolled his eyes.

"Paperwork is mobile, Jennifer, I can do that just as well sitting in the stands or in the Potion Lab as I can in the study. And then when you get back, we'll take a walk and then I'll help you with whatever you need to get done for class on Monday over a late dinner," he said, noting her unsure expression. "Or you could always ignore your husband's suggestion and I can pull rank and kick you out of the castle for the day anyhow," he added in an almost casual tone, but a smile crept back onto her face again.

"You would," she said dryly, kissing him. "All right, Severus, perhaps I do need to get away for a bit at that, although I'm not sure inundating myself with visiting children and grandchildren is really going to fix the problem."

"Perhaps not, but it might help, just the same," Severus decided before noticing the state of her shelves and found himself reorganizing them again.


	15. The Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Chapter Fifteen

The Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Anna looked up curiously from where she was standing near where Dale and Bobby were kicking balls to a group of Ravenclaw first years, watching her brother stroll beside the pitch. Severus glanced at the benches as if contemplating which to sit on and but stopped to gaze at them speculatively. Taking a moment to check the different groups practicing on the field, Anna then walked over to him.

"Not much to look at, are they?" Severus mused when he noticed her.

"Andrew transfigured it out of a pile of wood that was out here. I think it was left over scaffolding from the repairs on the Potion Lab last year," Anna said.

"Hm, well perhaps I'll drop a hint to one of the Owls that this might be a good project for next year," Severus said before sitting down.

"Is that what are you doing out here?" Anna asked. "Inspecting the stands?"

"I'm your second set of eyes for the day, actually. Jennifer seemed a bit down this morning so I'm taking over so she can go visit family," Severus said.

"Why do you do that?" Anna asked. Severus frowned at her.

"What do you mean?"

"It just seems like every time something is bothering her, you send her away to do something else. Why?" Anna asked.

"Because it works," Severus said irritably, glancing over at the students. "Is it just me, or is there a lack of Slytherin?"

"Danny says they picked their team early and have decided they want to practice in private this year," Anna said. "After last year's performance, I can hardly blame them."

"It's not unusual for Slytherin to pick their teammates before tryouts. But I also have a feeling that they're not likely to be as bad as they were last year. Slytherin doesn't usually have two bad years in a row," Severus said.

"Yes, well, that was before they took up a 'Muggle' sport," Anna said, following Severus' gaze over to where Lucky was goalkeeping for several of the Gryffindors. They made such poor attempts to get past her that she began barking at them… mostly in English.

"Muggle sport or not, I seriously doubt they'll be caught off guard a second year in a row," Severus said. "If they're not practicing out here, I would conjecture it's because they have something valuable to hide."

"So you think Slytherin found themselves a ringer?" Anna asked thoughtfully. Severus shrugged.

"One player doesn't make a team," Severus said.

"Tell that to your daughter," Anna chuckled, watching as Lucky finally got fed up and took over the ball, slamming it past anyone brave enough to try to guard the box.

"Yes, well, yours seems to have learned it at least," Severus commented, and Anna smiled softly at that, glancing over at where Lindsay was taking great pains to instruct some of the Hufflepuffs who hadn't been out on the pitch before.

"The rules themselves are not all that different from Chaserball, really, except we're playing on the ground, and we're kicking instead of throwing," Lindsay told them. "But the principle is still the same. One person guards each net while everyone else either tries to take the ball up the Pitch to score or try and tackle it, steal it away that is, and playing to each team member's strengths. Although today we're just going to concentrate learning how to move with the ball an get it in the net. The rest you can worry about later," she said with a grin, lining them up.

Delia listened intently along with the others; mostly of younger years, although some were there she was quite sure just because they hadn't made the Quidditch team and were looking for other options. But even though she never gotten to play before, growing up in London she had often watched other children play in the regular park down the street. She had even owned a ball at one point, and fiddled around with it when she had nothing better to do, which was more often than not.

After they had been doing dribbling exercises for a while, Lucky to a break from her attempt at finding a decent goalie to watch Hufflepuff for a few minutes. She finally took a few steps over and whistled until Ambrose looked up from what he was doing.

"Hey! Put her in the hole!" Lucky shouted at them. Ambrose looked over in surprise to see her pointing at Delia. Lindsay glanced around as well and nodded, moving up to join Ambrose as Lucky seemed to lose all interest and went back to what she had been doing.

"What was all that about? Who does she think she is?" Cliff asked with a frown.

"She helped us an awful last year, Cliff. I think we ought to take her advice, because she might see something we don't," Ambrose said.

"It can't hurt to try her at mid. After all, that's what this is all about, right? Trying things out?" Lindsay said. "Cliff, why don't you take keeper? Ambrose, you just go do your thing."

"Right!" Ambrose grinned, hurrying over to where their goal was set up. Lindsay grabbed Delia and led her over, lining them up with the midfield on the real Pitch as they walked over to the extra goal set up for them.

"Okay, Delia, let's see how you do," Lindsay said, putting the ball down. "I want you to get that ball downfield and into the net. If you can't manage it, just kick it to me. I'll be a little forward and to the far right of you."

"Why would I need to?" Delia wondered, but Lindsay shrugged and grinned, walking backwards to her position. Shrugging to herself, Delia began dribbling the ball up field only to suddenly get the feeling that she was tripping over someone.

"Excuse me! Coming through!" Ambrose said, and Delia let out an exclamation as he somehow came away with the ball, kicking it towards Lindsay who then kicked it hard towards Cliff. He caught it, however, sticking his tongue at Lindsay.

"Well, it isn't like I was trying to knock your head off. I dare you to try playing goalkeeper against Gryffindor!" she snapped at him.

"No way," Cliff chuckled.

"Just what was all that all about?" Delia demanded angrily. "You told me to drive the ball down the field, and the next thing I know, Ambrose is taking the ball from me!"

"Yeah, that's my job!" Ambrose grinned. "I'm holding mid!"

"What is that?" Delia sighed.

"Delia, in a real game, you wouldn't be able to get that far downfield without opposition. There is going to be a whole team trying to stop you by blocking or tackling, you know," Lindsay said.

"Well, I want to try it again! I wasn't expecting anything like that to happen!" Delia complained.

"Sure, let's try again," Ambrose said enthusiastically, tossing the ball to Lindsay.

But now Delia knew what to expect, and she didn't like to be beaten. So when Lindsay tossed out the ball in her direction, Delia quickly took control of it, turning her back a bit to Ambrose as she came in and kicked the ball enough to the side that she could push past him and over to the net. Despite a weak kick at the end that Cliff easily stopped, he nodded and grinned at her.

"Hey, maybe we should set up the rest of the new people as defenders and see what happens?" Cliff suggested. "And put someone in here so I can play center forward."

"We had better come up with a good goalkeeper then," Ambrose said, and then winked at Delia. "Not that it looks like Gryffindor is going to have one either this year. Bet there's gonna be high point games next season."

"If you say so," Delia said with a grin, but then woke up when someone tossed the ball at her again.

"How about that?" Dale said, walking up to where Lucky was standing, getting her to look back over at where Hufflepuff was practicing. "We might actually have some promise in yellow and black, I think. Maybe Ravenclaw will actually have some competition in the spring for a change," he added for good measure before quickly walking off. Lucky blinked.

"Hey!" she shouted at him, but he was already well out of her striking range.

* * *

September faded into October, and a series of cold showers kept the grounds muddy and most of the students indoors. But Lucky felt like she was getting a lot of kinks, aches, and pains from studying late, falling asleep at her desk more often than not. Fortunately, her last class period was free on Wednesdays, so after smuggling Houdini a carrot from the kitchen and giving him a quick brush down, Lucky grabbed her ball and trudged out in the rain to shoot some balls. She practiced by herself, using the summoning charm she had learned in Weasley's class to call the ball back to her in between, and had quickly decided that it was the best thing she had learned so far that year. Soaked to the bone and having to pull her good shoes out of the mud, Lucky finally trudged inside and up to her room, completely uncaring that she was taking several inches of the field along with her for the ride.

"Lucky! What are you doing? Look at the carpets!" Connie exclaimed from where she was sitting at the table. "Haven't you got sense enough to use a simple footprint spell when you're outdoors in weather like this?"

"Ya, but I don't get the same sorta grip on the field," Lucky said defensively, sloshing out of her shoes and peeling off her foul tube socks. Connie grimaced.

"I think you're just imagining things, Lucky. I'm sure the grip is the same either way. Honestly, I think the only reason you don't cast it is that you like being all muddy and stinky!" she complained, turning back to her homework. "You'd better hurry if you're going to catch dinner. I've already eaten."

"Nah, I think I'll skip it. I hafta track down Boulderdash. I got a question on the project we're working on," Lucky explained, stepping in her closet to throw on some new clothes and using a spell to dry her hair.

"You could at least shower. You could probably use one," Connie said, but Lucky ignored her, fishing out a pair of old sneakers and tossing the other ones on the window sill to dry out. Connie wrinkled her nose again. "Just what sort of project are you working on exactly, anyhow? It seems you're always pouring over books these days, but your marks are just the same as they are from last year."

"It's better that way anyhow. I think if I got a high mark in Transfiguration, all the Snapes would be on my case tryin' ta figure out if I got replaced somehow," Lucky shrugged.

"Well, that's true," Connie said. "But I still think you should be studying for our test tomorrow."

"I'll do it when I get back," Lucky promised.

She gathered up some books and walked out of their rooms, stepping over her own heavy footprints all the way down to the second floor. She had started down the next flight as well when she suddenly remembered that Boulderdash might be in the gym and backtracked, walking down the hall with books under one arm as if she were carrying around a ball. She blinked when she got to the doorway of the gym, for she didn't see her reflection. An instant later she realized that the entire wall of mirrors had been covered with some sort of foamy mats that seemed to be covered with tiny holes.

Lucky then glanced around to see Boulderdash at a weight bench in a relaxed grey tank and shorts that looked positively absolutely horrendous on the goblin. Worse, he was still wearing his heavy brown boots, which on any other creature would probably have looked comical. For some reason, on him it simply looked atrocious.

"Ah, Miss Snape," Boulderdash said, glancing up and putting back the arm weights thoughtfully. "What brings you here?"

"Stuck on a problem again," Lucky said.

"Bring it over here, then," Boulderdash said, swinging his legs to the side and resting on the bench as she brought the book over. "And hand me my spectacles, over there on the table."

"What's all that for on the walls?" Lucky asked.

"I find it's much easier to work out when I don't have to worry about glass," he explained, taking the book from her and then looking over her research. "Well, I don't see anything wrong with your logic so far, Miss Snape. Where did you get stuck?"

"The solution," Lucky said. "Why would the glass matter?"

"One question at a time, Miss Snape. What about the solution troubles you?" Boulderdash asked.

"I don't think these old marks mean anything," Lucky shrugged. Boulderdash sneered in amusement.

"Why do you suppose they are there, then?" he asked.

"Who knows?" Lucky snorted. "Maybe they were just testin' their tools, or sharpenin' their spear points or somethin'. Maybe they made a mistake and decided to start over without chippin' the rock out."

"Sounds like a reasonable conclusion to me," Boulderdash said, handing the book back. "You've seemed to eliminated everything else, so what other solution is there?"

"But I spent two hours on this stupid thing!" Lucky scowled. "That ain't a reasonable sort of class exercise! There's gotta be somethin' else I missed." Boulderdash looked amused.

"My dear Miss Snape, in any sort of research, even a negative conclusion is considered progress. I think you are coming along quite well," he reassured her, handing her back the reading glasses too which she put back on the table.

"I guess, but I still got a long way to go," Lucky said with a sigh, scowling with irritation at the book.

"Ready to give up, are we?" Boulderdash taunted.

"No way!" Lucky protested immediately. "But what about that glass thing?"

"Goblins live in a magic world, Miss Snape," Boulderdash said, getting off the bench. "We understand how it works, and our craftsman work with magic tools and concoctions every day in some way or another. We can manipulate its presence in metals and rock, smell it, and sense it. But we do not cast it. Most of us are incapable. Mutants of our kind that have developed magical eccentricities are encouraged to have no interest. But as I'm sure you have learned from your history courses, we have managed to stay ahead of being enslaved by the wizards by the power of resistance and learning to fight back against magic despite having no magic other than the tools we wield."

"Ya," Lucky said, nodding thoughtfully. "But what does that got to do with the glass thing?"

"Because, Miss Snape…" Boulderdash suddenly crouching down in a lightning fast movement to grab a dagger out of his boot and launch it across the room. Lucky spun around in surprise to see the dagger still vibrating from where it stuck in the door's threshold half, an inch to the left of John Carnegie's head. "Librarian or not, I'm still a goblin, and the enemies of goblins seem to pop up everywhere."

To his credit, John had barely batted an eye from where he stood leaning against the doorframe. Lucky couldn't help but be equally impressed both by the accuracy of the shot and Mr. Carnegie's nerves of steel.

"Charmed, I'm sure, Mr. Boulderdash, and I'll be tellin' the Headmaster exactly where that lil' notch came from," John said.

"Go ahead. I'll simply inform him that you were in my territory and on my time," Boulderdash snarled threateningly.

"I'm not here to tangle with you, Mr. Boulderdash. I'm here to fetch Miss Snape to the main stairwell to have a few words," John said. "Now, iffin ya don't mind, Miss Snape?"

"She is on my time as well," Boulderdash snapped.

"I'm thinkin' in this particular instance the Headmaster would side with me, Mr. Boulderdash. But feel free ta take it up wit'em if you have the mind. Miss Snape? Now, if you please?" John said firmly.

"Ya," Lucky said, but then glanced at Boulderdash. "But can ya teach me how to do that?"

"You have magic, Miss Snape You hardly need to emulate the way this beast of burden does anythin'," John said, ignoring the intense low growl in the back of Boulderdash's throat completely. "And I'll be tellin' the Headmaster my mind on that subject as well. You've been spendin' much tae much time in the comp'ny of goblins lately."

"He's my advisor!" Lucky protested, reluctantly following him down the hall.

"He's also a murderer," John said evenly. "As many things as the gobbies in gobbietown have accused me of over't'years, that was never one of them. I dare Boulderdash tae say the same for himself. Take 'is words with skepticism, Miss Snape, that be the only warnin' I'm tryin' to give you."

"Ya," Lucky said, but had also decided that the warning should be applied both ways. It suddenly occurred to her that John never seemed present in the library when Boulderdash was around, and never had she seen the two of them in the same room together without the Professor standing between them before. Now she understood why Boulderdash kept such strict hours, for apparently it was to minimize how often the librarian and the caretaker crossed paths.

"I nairly slipped an' plunged to my death because of yer handiwork, Miss Snape," Carnegie scolded as they stepped onto the landing and he pointed accusingly at the deep muddy footprints. "Well, maybe that be a bit of an exaggeration, but it could've been a calamity had certain people hurried up those stairs at th' wrong time withou' my reflexes. And what would've happened had someone gotten impatient and tried tae jump the cases an' didn't land proper afore that mud dried, Miss Snape?"

"Students aren't allowed to jump staircases, it's automatic detention," Lucky said expressionlessly.

"Now ya know vera well exactly who in this school does it most, whether or not she ought to. Do ya really wanna kill yer Mum?" he asked. Lucky gazed at him stonily. "I tracked those prints all the way inta the Gryffindor rooms and there I found the evidence still sitting right upon the window sill. I also happen tae know that a fourth year student ought ta know that footprint spell by now! Do you?"

"Ya," Lucky shrugged. "But it's not like the House Elves won't just clean it up. Kinda surprised they haven't yet, come ta think of it."

"Well, the whys of that is the fact that I was plannin' a detail of the main staircases starting this very evenin', but now that I'm hearin' your apparent taking for granted of 'em, I think the punishment in the matter quite clear in my mind. And fer the next week, not a finger or a wisp of magic do I want the House Elves to be helpin' you in any form. You will have ta do without, Miss Snape, an' I'm sure ya won't be takin' them for granted again. In fact, I think I'll just pop off tae the Headmaster's Study to have a word about it. I'm certain he'll be agreeable on the matter," John assured her. "Oh, and be sure'n ta tell that filthy gold digger in there that he'd better not try an' use the interruption or your presence to further his time in th' gym tonight. I have a lot a work ta do, even more now thanks to yer own carelessness, an' I've every intention of completing my own warm ups before I try an tackle it."

"Ya," Lucky said, turning and walking back to the gym but deciding before she got there to leave out the 'dirty gold digger' part.

* * *

Lucky didn't realize just how much trouble she was in until the next day. She frowned at her mud caked shoes on the windowsill, realizing immediately that the Professor must have approved her punishment. She then slipped out of bed, frowning at the prints on the floor and attempted to ignore the rancid-smelling clothes in the bottom of her closet as she changed into some fresh clothes, glancing over what she had left. Well, she had enough clothes to get her through a week, she reasoned, and then shrugged it off, grabbing some socks and her old sneakers just as Constance sat up in bed. She was staring at the shoes on the sill as well.

"Boy, those are still a mess, aren't they?" Connie said with a yawn.

"Ya, I know," Lucky said, shrugging it off as she got dressed.

"Wait, you're not really going to wear those shoes, are you? They're full of holes," Connie said.

"So? They're clean, and it's the only other pair I've got," Lucky said.

"They'll never get past a glance from any professor. They're totally against dress code," Connie warned, but Lucky ignored her, putting them on anyhow. "Well, I suppose you can't wear those others at all, can you? I wonder why the Elves didn't do them this morning? Mine are freshly polished."

"Long story," Lucky said. "Come on, let's go to breakfast. I'm starved!"

"That's what you get for skipping dinner," Connie teased, following her downstairs.

But when the two of them got to the Gryffindor table and sat down, Lucky found herself staring at the table, while Connie was already nibbling on her toast. She glanced over at Lucky thoughtfully.

"Well that's odd, isn't it?" Connie said.

"Yeah, looks like Lucky caught one of the House Elves sleeping on the job," Gary joked. But Lucky wasn't laughing when she looked up at him. In fact, all the color drained out of her face.

"No way," Lucky said in disbelief. "Wait, how much cooking do House Elves do in this school?"

"All of it, I'd say. Why?" Connie asked.

"No way!" Lucky said, jumping up. "No way am I going to do this for a week!"

Connie watched wide-eyed as Lucky suddenly started shouting angrily in Spanish and had everyone in the Great Hall staring at her agape until she began to burp a continuous string of soap bubbles.

But instead of popping like they normally did, the bubbles began to join together and get bigger and bigger until those sitting under it scrambled away to keep from getting covered by it. Finally, it got big enough even Lucky was taken aback, and she found herself staring at a very large and quite impressive bubble elephant. Lucky attempted to ask a question, which came out in another bubble, shaped like a bucket. Before she had time to realize what was happening, the bubble elephant put its trunk in the bucket and then immediately doused her with soapy water.

The entire Great Hall burst out in laughter, and Lucky glared at them fiercely, glancing furiously around the room. It was then that she noticed Professor Snape casually standing in the back doorway, so she turned around and stormed out the front doors to avoid him.

"That was quite good," Jennifer commented from where she had stood just behind him, leaning a bit to see the scene play out.

"To be frank, I'm actually rather disappointed," Severus said, glancing over his shoulder to see Jennifer gazing at him questioningly. "I had developed that charm for the Coventry twins." Chuckling softly at him, Jennifer stepped back into the staff room with Severus following behind a moment later.

* * *

As bad a day that Thursday was turning out, things only seemed to get worse from there. By the time Lucky dried off, she had to run to get to Transfiguration on time, sliding into the seat beside Ambrose.

"What was that all about, anyhow?" he whispered after Professor Andrew had turned to write something on the board.

"I got in trouble yesterday and lost House Elf privileges for a week," Lucky whispered back. Ambrose blinked and let out a low whistle. Lucky kicked him, but it was too late. Andrew looked around curiously, until finally seeing the guilty party still covering his mouth.

"If you need something, there are more effective ways of getting someone's attention, Mr. Bailey," Andrew said.

"Does that include girls?" Ambrose asked daringly, and some of the other students chuckled.

"Most especially, but I'm not about to interrupt my agenda to teach manners. I suggest you start copying these notes down before I'm tempted to deduct points and put you in the Mischief Hat again," Andrew warned. Ambrose gasped and immediately began copying. But before Andrew turned around again, he glanced at Lucky to make sure she hadn't started the disruption. It was then that he noticed her pulling back her feet. "Miss Snape, what are you wearing? Are those sneakers or a golf course for gophers? Where are your school shoes?" he asked.

"I kinda trashed them yesterday and I haven't had time to clean them yet," Lucky admitted. Andrew rolled his eyes.

"Well, I wouldn't try to wear those to any other classes or you can expect further comments. Stay after class and I'll give you spell to fix your school shoes," he said with a sigh.

"Yes, Professor," Lucky murmured, well aware of the snickers on the Slytherin side of the room as she worked at copying her notes.

Transfiguration was always interminable for Lucky, so she was glad when time was finally over and they could pick up their books and she could get ready for Theory.

"You want to meet at the Owl Room for lunch so we can talk, Lucky? I want to know what happened." Ambrose asked in a low voice as the others began to get up.

"Might as well, since apparently it wouldn't do any good to show up for lunch anyhow, 'cuz they're not serving me," Lucky said back.

"Ouch! Who did you tick off to deserve that?" Ambrose asked.

"Carnegie."

"Carnegie? Really? Wow, I'm not getting in his way again," Ambrose said so emphatically that Lucky gave him a dirty look.

"Don't you have to get to the North Tower for a class, Mr. Bailey?" Andrew sighed.

"Going!" Ambrose said, jumping up and hurrying out of the room. Lucky reluctantly got up once everyone had left. Andrew then went over to his personal bookshelf and fished through them until he found the book he was looking for.

"Here you are, Lucky! Despite the title, I'm sure you'll find this book will come in handy over the next week," Andrew said, handing her a copy of _A Bachelor Wizard's Guide to Housekeeping_. Lucky glowered at him. "Seriously, you should find practically every spell you might need in there. Do you want a cookbook too? That one doesn't really go much farther than a lesson on how to boil water for tea," he said, waiting for a reply. Lucky simply continued to glower. "Do you know how to get to the kitchens?"

"I'm not cookin'," Lucky said flatly, and Andrew smiled skeptically at her, shaking his head.

"It is going to be an awful long week, Lucky. Even if you have the stamina to hold out for Hogsmeade this weekend, I think you'd be mighty sick from candy before next Wednesday rolls around," he said, writing out instructions and sketching a quick map to the kitchen on a piece of paper, folding it in the book.

"There you go, that's pretty much the most I can do, and probably a lot more than anybody else on staff will be willing to do. You're on your own this time, so good luck," he added for good measure, holding the book out. Lucky reluctantly took the book, hiding it between two other books before stomping out of the room without another word. Andrew chuckled softly to himself and shook his head. "Boy, am I glad that never happened to me," he said to himself before turning his attention to getting ready for his next class.


	16. Relation Conversations

_A/N Picking up steam on this book so expect some quicker updates than weekly. That said, the chapters in this book are longer than the last, all fitting certain themes and covering a lot of material throughout the middle of this particular book. So much to cover! In any case, I hope you enjoy this next chapter._

Chapter Sixteen

Relation Conversations

Ambrose gazed at his best friend sympathetically when they got to the Owl Room and found their lunch table completely empty without even an apple in the basket usually filled with fruit.

"It's all right, Lucky, there's always Potion's class," Ambrose said, trying to cheer her up. "You know Aunt Jennifer usually has stuff out even when she isn't supposed to have. Coffee if nothing else, you know."

"Like I'm dumb enough to try an' drink coffee when I haven't eaten in almost twenty-four hours," Lucky said grumpily, feeling quite sorry for herself.

"If you want, I can go to lunch and see if I can't smuggle something out for you," Ambrose offered.

"Nah, you'll just get in trouble too. Why don't you just go eat?" Lucky sighed, sitting down. Ambrose watched her thoughtfully for a moment.

"Let's just study for our Potion's test," he said, sitting beside her and opening his book companionably. Lucky sighed and the two of them went over formulas, despite the fact that her rolling stomach was constantly distracting her. But finally, it was time to head to class, but Ambrose became even more sympathetic when he saw the look on Lucky's face when they noticed that the cart in the lab was empty as well.

"Sorry, Lucky, I'm under very strict orders not to interfere this time," Craw said with a sincere, apologetic smile. "I suggest once you get out of classes tonight, you use that resourcefulness of yours to find the kitchen."

"I'll go with you, Lucky," Ambrose immediately offered.

"Fine," Lucky sighed reluctantly, following Ambrose to their table. Jennifer smiled warmly at Ambrose, but then turned her attention to getting ready for class and passing out tests.

Despite Lucky's grumpiness, Ambrose's lighthearted mood kept it from getting worse, and his comments about how hungry he was encouraged her to head towards the kitchens despite the fact that part of her was half tempted just to go to her room and sleep instead.

"It should be this door over here on the left, I think," Lucky said, and Ambrose pushed on it.

"It's locked! Maybe that's why Andrew told us to try the one from the secret passage," Ambrose grinned.

"Prolly just lock it to keep students out that don't have any business in there," Lucky said, cracking her knuckles. But the moment she touched the door, it opened. A little disappointed, Lucky shrugged, and the two of them went in.

Several House Elves looked up curiously as they came in, then gasped and disappeared, leaving the kitchen seemingly quiet, except for several humongous pots on the stoves bubbling away.

"Something smells great," Ambrose said wistfully.

"Never mind that. I think I'm just gonna make some sandwiches," Lucky decided.

"Only one problem with that, Lucky. I think the House Elves make the bread here," Ambrose said. Lucky scowled. "Don't worry, there's other stuff!" he said, peering in one of the cold larders. "Here, Lucky! I found the apples!" he said, dragging out a bag.

"It's a start," Lucky agreed, sinking her teeth in one and carrying it around in her mouth as she began to open up all the cabinets, finally tracking down the wheat flour. "Eh, this'll work," she decided, munching on the apple as she dug for the baking powder. "Help me find a big flat pan and a big bowl."

"All right!" Ambrose said, and began opening up the lower cabinets as well.

By the time they found everything Lucky wanted, the large pots had disappeared off the stove and the contents of the ovens had been emptied, which was just well, for now that dinner was over, the House Elves would have little reason to be in the way. Ambrose found himself thinking of all the times he had helped his mother in the kitchen, only this was much more fun. Lucky wasn't quite so careful with the flour, and she wasn't in the rush to clean up after ever step like his mother was, so there wasn't much time to get bored, as he helped her roll the dough she made into balls and flatten them out like little pizzas.

They were covered from head to toe in flour and so was the floor by the time Ambrose began scrounging for cheese and Lucky was busy squeezing the filling out of the casings of freshly rolled sausages into a hot pan.

"Smells great, Lucky!" Ambrose said enthusiastically, throwing all sorts of different cheeses on the table from goat cheese to cheddar to parmesan out, having no clue whatsoever what she might need, starting on a third apple as he looked over the stack of slightly burnt and somewhat lumpy tortillas. "Let me get some juice or something!"

Quite pleased with herself, Lucky slapped it all together, while Ambrose configured a couple of crates into stool and the two of them made themselves comfortable at the prep table.

They were half way through eating when Lucky felt a strange draft of cold air on her back, followed by the sound of someone letting out a low whistle. She turned around, but didn't see anyone there. Lucky squinted, reaching the only obvious conclusion.

"There are more effective ways of getting someone's attention, Professor Andrew," Ambrose said, having reached the same conclusion.

"I wasn't exactly trying," Andrew said. He stepped out of invisibility, still staring in disbelief at the state of the kitchen. "Look at this place! And do you have any idea of the hour?"

"Not really," Lucky admitted with a shrug.

"After eleven," Andrew said, folding his arms.

"What? Already?" Ambrose said agape. "Wow, we'd better turn in, Lucky!"

"Oh, no you don't, not until this room is in order. Don't forget, Lucky, you not only have to get your own food but you have to clean up after yourself as well," Andrew sighed. Lucky blinked, glancing at the flour and lard sticking to the floor.

"Ya, but can't you gimme a break? I got a test tomorrow, ya know…"

"Considering I'm giving it, I think I do. You also missed sparring, which I'll imagine you'll be hearing about from Professor Craw as well. I think from now on you should try something a bit simpler, Lucky. Ambrose, you don't have to clean, you know. Maybe you'd better get to bed," Andrew advised.

"No, I'll stay, I helped make it," Ambrose insisted.

"Fine, suit yourself," Andrew sighed. "I'm going to go report where you are to the Headmaster and the Fat Lady so nobody worries. But you had better get moving!" he warned, grabbing an apple and huge baguette sandwich that had appeared on another table, shaking his head as he slipped back into the cooler.

Ambrose sighed, staring at the floor. But Lucky was staring at the stove. Making up her mind, she hopped down and grabbed the bag of flour.

"What are you doing?" Ambrose asked.

"I don't think I wanna clean up this kitchen more than once this week," she said, dumping it into the bowl. "An' the only way I can manage that is with sandwiches. I'm making enough tortillas that it'll last me."

"This is going to take all night," Ambrose said, shaking his head before pulling the book of cleaning spells over so he could at least take care of the rest of the mess.

* * *

The next morning, Lucky snuck in the staff room and filled a large container full of coffee, drinking as much as she could possibly stand before finally making her way to Transfiguration for her test.

Ambrose was already there, his head propped up and looking about as thrilled to be there as she did, despite the fact it was one of his best subjects. But he was so tired! It was a good thing it was early in the year and it was and easy test. In fact, he was pretty sure he could do it in his sleep.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

Andrew heard the sound of soft chuckles and looked up in surprise to see Ambrose with his head down on his desk, fast asleep, having been unable to do more than put his name on his paper.

"Eyes on your papers, please," Andrew said, still hearing on occasional giggle as he dug through his papers to find who had a conference that hour, quickly sending his finch Darwin off with a note.

Within minutes, Scribe appeared, wearing such a motherly, sympathetic expression that everyone risked a glance up to stare at it. She tsked and shook her head.

"The poor dear," she tsked.

"I'm just going to take him to his room to sleep himself out," Andrew murmured to her, getting up.

"Yes, it's probably best. The password is 'Poppyseed Muffins,'" she whispered back. Nodding to her, Andrew went over and gently picked up the slumbering boy and carried him to his room.

Lucky knew better than to doze off, however, finishing her test as quickly as possible so she could get away. But as much as she wanted a nap during her long lunch, she knew she was in a dilemma, knowing her chances of waking up for her next class was remote if she dosed off then.

Finally she realized there was only one option open to her and hurried down to the Potions Lab, waiting for Professor Craw to release her class before stepping inside.

"Can I use your office for lunch?" Lucky asked, and Jennifer blinked in surprise. "I just wanna borrow the couch until time for Potion Class."

"Oh! Well, yes, I suppose, Lucky…" Jennifer said, watching as the girl went in on her own. Quickly, Jennifer gathered her books and went in after her, but Lucky had already collapsed on the couch. Rasputin, it seemed, had come out of his box to lie on the floor beneath her almost protectively, and Jennifer couldn't help but smile softly, pulling a blanket out of her chest and gently putting it over the girl. For a change, Lucky seemed peaceful, the troubled expression that haunted her always completely washed away in her slumber.

Just then Lucky began to snore, the reality of it ruining the peaceful image, but in a way that made Jennifer grin and even have to stifle a soft chuckle as she carefully backed away, putting her books on the desk with thoughtful sigh. She gazed steadily at the hearth for a moment and another smile crept on her face, wondering what the chances were of her getting to it without disturbing Rasputin. A soft, unmistakable knock rapped on the door, and Jennifer quickly opened it before Severus could let himself in, putting a finger to her lips. Severus peered in thoughtfully, nodding slightly before stepping back into the lab, Jennifer following behind.

"Not looking for sympathy, I hope," Severus murmured.

"No, just a place to rest. She knew I wasn't likely to let her oversleep my own class," Jennifer said with amusement.

"Yes, well, Ambrose has been put to bed. Just treat it as a sick absence," Severus said. "He's a bit young to try and go all day without rest when he was up until nearly four in the morning."

"I quite agree," Jennifer said.

"But don't you dare let her oversleep," Severus added for good measure.

"Certainly not," Jennifer grinned at him, glancing in one last time. "Although I might let her have some porridge when she wakes up, since it isn't House Elf made, after all."

"Yes, well, don't make it a habit," Severus frowned at her. He hissed softly and Rasputin glanced up a moment, tilting his head to look at Severus with his charmed glass eye before hissing in response and laying his head back down.

"Come, let's eat in my office, since yours seems to be occupied," Severus said, closing the door.

"Do you know what amazes me the most about Lucky, Severus?" Jennifer said as they walked out of the lab and up the back stairs.

"I can't imagine," Severus said.

"It's that out of all three daughters, Lucky is the one that reminds me most of you," Jennifer said, Severus simply giving her a thoughtful side-glance as the stairs in front of them began to spiral. "Here she is, from a different country, culture, and background, and yet you're both so alike in so many ways that if I didn't know better, I would have thought her to be your biological daughter."

"If only she were," Severus said quietly, Jennifer gazing at him steadily. "If only I could have spared her from any of what she went through growing up. If I could have, I would have."

"I know that, Severus," Jennifer said, taking his arm lovingly. "And someday I think she'll know it too."

* * *

Lucky jumped off the bus with Ambrose right behind, having to run to keep up as she went straight to the Three Brooms.

"Do you got pancakes?" Lucky asked Rosmerta, who simply looked at her with amusement.

"Afraid not," she said. "We got meat rolls."

"That works, the biggest plate ya got, and whatever the special is," Lucky said.

"And you?"

"Just a butterbeer, I'll just share some of her meat rolls," Ambrose said.

"Says you!" Lucky said challengingly. "I want one of those too."

Connie and Gary stood by the doorway, shaking their heads.

"I thought we were sticking together today, Lucky?" Connie said.

"Pull up some chairs," Lucky shrugged.

"We ate at the castle. Maybe we can meet you somewhere?" she said.

"We're going to talk to Honeydukes about the fountain," Ambrose said, "And then we're going to go see my Mum."

"We can just meet at the deli for lunch," Lucky suggested, Rosmerta attempting to keep a straight face at that as she set down the stew and a party tray of meat rolls.

"That's great, Lucky, you finally start to slim down, and now you start binging all because of this House Elf thing," Connie said disapprovingly, shaking her head.

"We only live once, _chica,_" Lucky said, stuffing a roll in her mouth. "And if I die, I wanna make sure I do it on a full stomach." Ambrose simply grinned at her, while Connie rolled her eyes, nudging Gary before the two of them went out the door.

At the Professor's table, Anna, Sirius, Sally and Hermione all looked over at the table with a grin, Sally shaking her head and chuckling.

"That girl never does anything halfway, does she?" Sally said.

"It's her way of making a point. She wants everyone in the vicinity to know just how 'unfair' this situation is," Hermione said with a grin.

"Well, I know there are a lot of mixed opinions on Severus taking Carnegie in after all the trouble he caused," Sirius said in a low voice, watching for a minute before turning back around. "But I think this was a brilliant idea. If Lucky doesn't learn something from this, I'd be amazed, even as stubborn as she is."

"Yes, well, she's hardly the only one in that castle that takes advantage of those House Elves. Personally, I hope this isn't the last time someone tries this sort of punishment," Anna said.

"You won't hear any arguments from me," Hermione grinned. "Although to be fair, the House Elves were complaining something awful when she decided to use the kitchen. Apparently they even had to replace one of their griddles, although I'm not sure how she managed to destroy it."

"Well, I for one believe it's worth the trouble," Sirius said, and then got up. "I'm going to go see if I can't track down Lindsay before I head to the Popcorn Farm. Are you staying here?"

"Looks that way. I promised Severus I would keep an eye on Ambrose today," Anna said.

"Ambrose hardly needs looking after, I'd say," Sally said, waving it off. "I don't see why you'd need to, especially in this town." Anna didn't comment, but simply sipped on her drink, aware that saying anything at all would probably be saying too much.

"Someone ought to be looking after things anyhow, considering the Coventry twins are here this year," Hermione quickly pointed out. Sally let out a soft groan.

"That is cause for worry," Sally agreed. "I hope they stay out of mischief today."

"Well, if they don't, they're going to lose their privileges to come here in no time, because the Headmaster already warned them after the last time he had to pull them into his office that he wasn't going to give them any slack this year."

"Well, yes, but won't Daddy complain?" Sally murmured in an almost slurring tone.

"The twins are counting on just that," Hermione answered softly back, watching the door. "But I don't think Severus is likely to back down this time, no matter how many headaches it gives him personally."

"Good," Anna said with a supportive nod. "Something has to shake them up. They take their father's outside influence over things even more for granted than Lucky was taking the House Elves."

"Too bad there wasn't away to ban them from that," Sally said with amusement, sipping her drink. But Hermione was too distracted to comment, breaking into a smile as Ron came in holding Richard in his arms. Jennifer, who had somehow managed to acquire a baby of her own to carry around, came in behind him and paused only a moment to say something to Lucky and hand her some coins before following him over to the professors' table.

"There you are, finally. I thought you were planning to get here before the crowd," Hermione said to her husband, holding her arms out when the baby saw her and got excited.

"Well, Rich had other plans," Ron said dryly. "I had just got him cleaned up, new clothes… and I do mean new… and then… well, I soon found myself having to repeat the process. You know, I don't remember Joanie ever being this much trouble."

"She wasn't a boy," Hermione said mischievously, watching as Sally made faces at the baby. When he didn't react, she started letting out little sparkles from her hands, the toddler giggling with every poof in a way that had everyone at the table grinning. "Get me another drink too, will you?"

"I haven't been here two minutes and you're already bossing me around?" Ron said with exasperation, but then immediately went to get their drinks.

"He's such a charmer, Hermione. And he knows so many words!" Jennifer said wistfully, rocking the small baby she was holding. "Janus only knows one."

"No, he only says one," Anna pointed out. "There is a difference."

"True," Jennifer admitted, looking thoughtful.

"And what about this one? Where did you find it, under a cabbage patch?" Sally teased.

"If only they were that easy to come by," Jennifer chuckled, pulling the blankets back so they could see the dark haired baby. "This is Mr. Pyther. Mr. Pyther, put on your charms, these may be your teachers someday."

"So this is Alicia's then! Why, he looks a lot like his father, doesn't he, what a little miracle he is!" Sally said, letting him grasp her finger for a moment.

"He certainly is," Jennifer agreed. "Although I really shouldn't have him out too long, I simply stopped by to see if Anna was here."

"Until your bottomless pit over there stops eating at least," Anna said, Jennifer chuckling and looking over at Lucky.

"Well, don't be surprised if they hit Honeydukes next. They have business there and are likely going to want to get there early," Jennifer said.

"Business?" Anna asked.

"Yes, drumming up support for the new memorial fountain. Sometimes businesses in Hogsmeade help out with our side projects, so I suggested they ask around while they're here," Hermione explained.

"Well, I think they will be all right as long as they're shopping, it's later that I'm worried about," Jennifer said in a strange tone, glancing at Anna. "I want you to be especially vigilant for your aunt today. She's bound to show up with Severus still at the castle, and if she does show up, no matter what Ambrose and Lucky are doing, I'd prefer it if you stick close to her. She's not likely to cause any trouble with you right beside her."

"Trouble? Who's Anna's Aunt and why is it important?" Sally asked, but Hermione was frowning for another reason.

"You sound quite sure she's going to show up," Hermione said.

"When else would she? Considering who is out of town and Ambrose is away from the castle, of course she will show up. In the meantime, I think I'm going to keep an eye on the Coventry twins, because I really don't trust them today," Jennifer admitted, covering up the baby.

"After the warning they got the last time they were in the Headmaster's Study, I'd think they would be a bit cautious," Hermione pointed out. "You know what Severus said. They'd likely lose their Hogsmeade privileges the rest of the year if they stepped out of line this first visit."

"Which is exactly why they're going to pull something," Jennifer said seriously. "They're hoping that Severus will do just that so they can plead their case to their father and cause more headaches for the Headmaster."

"I seriously doubt Severus is going to back down, no matter how many headaches those twins cause," Anna said, Hermione nodding in agreement.

"No, definitely not. Board or no board, we're not going to be bullied by those sorts of silly tactics," Hermione said. "Assuming they pull something, of course."

"They will," Jennifer said with certainty. "I had better get Michael back to the studio and see where those two rascals are." Hermione watched her go with a pensive, almost suspicious look on her face, before turning to answer a question that Sally had asked her.

* * *

While Ambrose began to fill out their lists in Honeydukes, Lucky somehow succeeded in cornering one of the clerks and found herself soon talking to Miss Fiona Flume, a woman who looked to be in her thirties with a very pretty face, but too obviously liked to sample the fudge as much as she did making it.

"Well, I really like the idea of a memorial fountain, and I like seeing students taking some initiative improving the school even better!" Fiona said supportively. "You did say there was a maximum donation per family or business, however?"

"Ya, Professor Snape put that in there," Lucky said, sounding slightly annoyed. "He said it was to keep things fair, but I think he did it just so we have to work harder." Fiona broke out laughing at that.

"Your father is a very wise man, Miss Snape," Fiona said at last. "Let me have a word with my father about this real quick. I won't be but a moment," she promised, taking the donation sheet with her. Lucky turned around, watching Ambrose's progress.

"Get some extra boxes of black licorice cauldrons for the Professor. I don't think we're commin' back 'til after his birthday," she suggested.

"Don't you ever get him anything else?" Ambrose grinned at her.

"Nah, but he doesn't expect nuthin' else, either. That's what everybody else gets him, too," Lucky shrugged. Ambrose looked at the shelf thoughtfully for a moment, and then got extra for himself as well before finding a place in line.

"Here we are, Miss Snape!" Fiona said cheerfully, coming back out with the sheet signed. "We put down the maximum amount, perhaps it'll help convince some of the other shop owners to do the same," she suggested. "And here's a free sampler parcel for you and Mr. Bailey for your hard work."

"Thanks, Miss Flume," Lucky said.

"Good luck to you," she said with a wink before going over to check on the clerks.

"Wow, that went great!" Ambrose said with enthusiasm as they left, taking out one of the sugar sticks from the sampler bag.

"Yah. Who do you want to hit next?" Lucky asked.

"Mum, of course, although I'm quite sure she can't give that much, or Corey either," Ambrose said. "And I'm not sure if Mr. Toby is back yet. Mum says he went on vacation just after we went to school."

"Eh, we can hit Alicia's studio, they'll do max," Lucky said unconcernedly. "Then Zonko's, the Sport's Shop, the Divine Vision…"

"The Divine Vision? Didn't Madame Weasley say that they never contribute?" Ambrose said thoughtfully.

"Yah, but might as well try anyhow," Lucky shrugged. "Let's hit the Pigs Pannage too."

"Are you serious?" Ambrose said agape. "But I'm not allowed to go there!"

"Yah, but Craw's friend runs the place, so I figure I might get somethin' out of it."

"I think you're nuts," Ambrose said with a grin. "But I'll try it if Mum says it's all right."

The two of them hurried down the street towards the boutique when Lucky heard her name. She looked up in surprise to see Thomas Craw standing in front of the Hogsmeade Bank with a dark skinned, well-dressed gentleman she had never seen before. He paused and looked at the two of them thoughtfully, his dark eyes set on Lucky before a thin smile crept on his face as they walked over.

"This is the other granddaughter I was telling you about. Her name is Fortuna, but everyone calls her Lucky, and with good reason," Thomas said casually, Lucky grinning slightly at that. "Her friend, Ambrose Bailey, whose mother runs the shop down the street."

"Ah yes, of course," the man said with a nod and a smile towards Ambrose.

"Lucky, this is my good friend, Earham Singh, whom I'm escorting around on some errands today. He'll be staying at the farm for awhile," Thomas explained.

"It is good to finally meet you. I've heard quite a bit about you, Lucky," Earham said with another nod of the head.

"Are either of your parents around?" Thomas asked.

"Ya, Jackie's here. I saw her carryin' around Michael earlier," Lucky said.

"Well, if you see her before I do, tell her who I'm with and that I need to see her about it," Thomas said.

"About what?"

"She'll figure it out," Thomas said. "We just need to run to the bank and some quick errands and then she'll know where to find us."

"Pig's Pannage right?" Lucky said. Thomas sighed, turning to Earham.

"Brilliant girl, but apparently Snape still needs to teach her some discretion," Thomas said, pushing a coin in her hand.

"She'll know where to find you, and I have no clue, got it," Lucky said, walking away while Earham chuckled softly and murmured something to Thomas who simply shook his head in response. "Guess we'll have to wait and do the Pannage later," Lucky murmured to Ambrose as they walked away. Ambrose grinned at her.

But he stopped short in front of his mother's shop, staring up at the building and gaping at it. It had been completely repainted, the awnings repaired and detailed, and the doors refinished.

"Look at that!" Ambrose said in awe.

"Maybe things have been better than you thought," Lucky commented thoughtfully, following Ambrose inside. But when Ambrose looked around, all he saw was his mother's assistant behind the countered boredly working on hems while the students browsed through.

"Hey, Becky! Where's Mum?" Ambrose asked.

"Oh, hello, Ambrose! She's off visiting Bart again, where else?" Becky said, pausing to let the needle rethread itself. "He just started working on Corey's the other day."

"Really?" Ambrose frowned.

"Well, it did take him forever to get the front of this shop done, what without magic and all of that, but he did do a splendid job, didn't he?" she said in a tone that betrayed how surprised she was.

"Yes, it looks great!" Ambrose agreed.

"I suppose it did give them a lot of time together, though. Not that she doesn't go over to Corey's a lot now, but I'm sure she'll be back soon. She hasn't talked about anything but today being a Hogsmeade trip all week!" Becky said with an exasperated grin.

"Thanks, Becky, we needed to go to Corey's anyhow," Ambrose said, but Lucky didn't miss the troubled expression on the boy's face when he turned around so they could head back out of the store.

"So how long has this been going on?" Lucky asked when they got outside.

"They've been friends since this summer, since the funeral, really," Ambrose shrugged.

"Oh yeh, that's right, Bart is Eliza's son. Jackie was really torn up when she died. Seemed to shock her, not sure why, really, 'cuz she was pretty old."

"Well, old for a Muggle at least," Ambrose said with a nod.

"I didn't know her except that Jackie always making a point to send her a Christmas basket every year and that they were from their first neighborhood," Lucky said.

"Yeah, they all came here when Corey moved. The first Muggle neighborhood in Hogsmeade," Ambrose said, gazing thoughtfully at the ladder he saw along the side of the building and went around the corner.

"Don't go underneath a ladder, young man, it's bad luck," said Bart from where he was painting above them.

"Ya, for the man on the ladder," Lucky smirked.

"Oh, Lucky," Ashley chuckled from where she stood at the bottom of the ladder. "And there's my Ambrose!"

"Mum!" Ambrose said running over to get a warm hug, and soon found a longer one than he had intended and was wondering how to get away. Bartholomew chuckled softly and cautiously worked his way down.

"They grow so fast!" Ashley protested when he began to squirm. "Especially this one, he's so independent!" Lucky smirked slightly, but quickly changed her expression when Ashley looked up, nodding in agreement. "I expected to see you right off the bus! Where have you been?"

"Eating, mostly… well, Lucky's been eating, because they've been starving her at the school for her own good and all, but it's been a lot of fun, really, because I learned how to make flatbread and I know all kinds of cleaning spells now!" Ambrose said enthusiastically. Ashley simply laughed in response, while Lucky rolled her eyes. "Oh, and Lucky got our first sign-up donation for the fountain from Honeydukes! We're going to go around all the local businesses today, actually, but I insisted you were next, Mum."

"Glad he was the one that said that," Lucky smirked, Bart coughing off a laugh.

"All right, all right, I can't help but be supportive," Ashley chuckled, glancing at the list thoughtfully. "I do need to glance at the books though before I commit to anything. Will you be all right without me, Bart?"

"Never," Bart said with a smile, Ambrose gazing between them with a serious expression. "But I'll make do, as I always must when you go. Perhaps we should all have lunch together later? You as well, Ambrose, and Miss Snape."

"Actually, we've already promised to meet other friends for lunch," Ambrose said quickly. "You know, others in the order who are going to help us with the fundraisers and all… if that' all right, Mum…"

"Of course, Ambrose. See, I warned you he was independent," Ashley said.

"It's to his credit. I have a feeling you'll go quite far in the world with that attitude, young man," Bart said.

"Well, we'll just have to make plans to have lunch your next visit to Hogsmeade, Ambrose," Ashley said. "But come along to the store now, and I'll fill this out for you." Ambrose glanced at Lucky unsurely, wondering if he was just imagining it, but the moment he saw the expression on her face, he knew he wasn't.

The moment they got to Corey's, Ambrose grabbed Natalie and Hope and pulled them out back, and Lucky decided not to comment. Even Corey, left without his weekend help, simply shoved the bins they had been filling back into place without a word.

"This is a great idea, Lucky," Corey said, immediately signing off on it. "I can match Ashley's share at least, but let me know if you get strapped near the end of your fundraiser, and I'll see if I can't somehow pull out the rest."

"Deal," Lucky said.

"I'd better get you a new phial on sleep sand and some dried foxglove while you're here. I take it fourth years got stuck with Sleeping Death Draughts this year?" he asked questioningly.

"Only the dry compound part. She don't trust us with the rest," Lucky shrugged. "Ever since Dale blew up the lab, Jackie's been pretty cautious."

"I bet," Corey said with amusement. "But considering all the new spells on that lab, I seriously doubt anything is going to breach the explosion seal… well, nothing that students would be working with at any rate."

"I guess," Lucky shrugged, following him back as he went to get the foxglove. "So how serious is it, anyhow?"

"Is what?" Corey asked curiously.

"The Mrs. Bailey thing." Lucky jerked her thumb towards the back window, where Corey saw Natalie, Hope and Ambrose sitting and talking.

"That's not really our affair, Lucky," Corey said.

"Like hell it isn't," Lucky snorted. "If it's serious, it's gonna affect Bill, and if it affects Bill, it affects me. Besides, your wife is my sister-in-law, and his sister, so we're practically relative, and if there's somethin' goin' on here, I wanna know about it, cuz if nuthin' else, I'm just gonna hear about it third-hand from Ambrose. But as smart as he is about some things, emotionally, he's still ten."

"True enough," Corey admitted with a sigh, then paused to tell his clerks that he was going to be a minute. He pulled her into the lab, gesturing her over to a stool while he used the time to check on some beakers he had simmering, while Lucky sniffed the air, peering at the beakers nearest to where she was sitting.

"Is this one coffee?" she asked, peering in a large glass jar sitting over a candle.

"Yes, but it's not for the faint of heart," Corey warned. "It may be just coffee, but I pretty much leave it on around the clock, so it can be a little thick."

"I used to just drink expresso straight. How bad can it be?" Lucky shrugged, and Corey somehow managed to track down a coffee mug that was still clean and handed it to her. "Okay, so it's bad," she decided after a sip. "But what's the story?"

"Well, don't mention this to Ambrose, considering I'm sure Ashley wants to handle this in her own way," Corey began, but Lucky stared dubiously out the window, having a feeling her nieces were going to do it in any case. "But Bart has already asked her on more than one occasion to marry him." Lucky turned her focus back on Corey. "And she said she'd consider it, but that it'd depend on how Ambrose felt about it, as well as family."

"Family? I thought her family could fill a stadium. What, is she gonna have someone take a poll?" Lucky said. Corey chuckled softly.

"Well, as to that, I believe she was just using that to cover exactly who she wanted blessings from, besides Rose, I mean."

"So how's Rose feel about it?" Lucky asked.

"Well, being Rose, she's more than a little concerned that her mother would consider marrying for anything other than love at all," Corey admitted, Lucky gazing at him fixedly. "Don't get me wrong, Ashley cares about Bart a great deal, and obviously so, but she definitely wouldn't be marrying him for her own benefit."

"Don't tell me. Ambrose," Lucky said. Corey nodded, turning off one of the mixtures and going to the shelf to set up some bottles. "Ya know, Rose turned out all right growing up, I don't see why she should worry."

"Rose also grew up hearing stories of what her father was like when she was alive. Ambrose hasn't had that," Corey explained.

"Well, then maybe it's about time ya'll told him whatever it is you've been hidin' from him then," Lucky suggested. "No matter how much of an ass his father was, he can handle it, can't he? Anything is better than havin' him living in a void."

"Which is why Ashley is considering doing this, Lucky. For legitimacy reasons if nothing else, and to keep people from getting too nosy, since they're not likely to question Ambrose's parentage if she's married," Corey explained, putting a thermometer in the mixture. "Although personally, I agree with you. If it were up to me, Ambrose would know the truth by now, but it's not up to me. It's up to Dad, and he's not so convinced that Ambrose is ready."

"Could you at least tell me what the hell is going on?" Lucky asked.

"If I could, Lucky, I would, believe me," Corey said fervently. Lucky sighed.

"Yeah, I believe you," Lucky said, getting up. "I'd better go rescue Ambrose, who knows what all they've told him."

"Yes, well, thanks for coming to me instead of leaving it up to them," Corey said.

"No problem, '_mano,_ I just hope Ambrose is all right with it," Lucky said, making her way back to the front. Corey glanced thoughtfully out the window then, watching Lucky coax Ambrose away, and found himself hoping that Ambrose wasn't all right with it at all.


	17. Discordance in the Grove

_A/N Second Chapter this week, and a long one. Fair warning, there's a bit of colorful language in this one though; Don is such a slimy kid at times. Sigh. :) Hope you like it. JCWriter._

Chapter Seventeen

Discordance in the Grove

By the time they got to the deli, it was completely packed, but an early afternoon drizzle had discouraged many from sitting outside. Lucky took out her wand and cast one of the cleaning spells she had learned that week on one of the tables, drying it and blowing the leaves off at the same time. Ambrose sat down, uncharacteristically quiet, getting his sandwich out of his bag but then staring at it and picking at it without any real interest.

"That was a pretty cool deal we got from Zonko's, lettin' us have their green-label overstock to sell," Lucky said.

"Yeah, I guess," Ambrose said glumly.

"Just don't let me forget to pick it up before we get on the bus," Lucky said.

"Sure, Lucky," Ambrose said, putting his chin on the table.

"Aw, com'on, Bill, it's not the end of the world havin' your mother have a boyfriend, is it? He seems to like you okay."

"It's more than just that. Hope told me he asked her to marry him," Ambrose said.

"Is that so bad? I thought you always told me you wanted a father," Lucky said.

"Well yeah, but… I can't explain it, Lucky. This all seems wrong somehow," Ambrose sighed.

"Maybe you're just in shock from it. You might change your mind once you get used to the idea," Lucky suggested, opening his drink for him and setting it in front of him. Ambrose sighed.

"You know, you're probably right. I've spent so many years dreaming of what it'd be like to have a father that having to be faced with a real one just doesn't seem to live up to it," Ambrose admitted.

"We can't pick our fathers, _chico._ If we could…" Lucky paused, and then shook her head. "I'd be a different person, that's all." Ambrose sat up again, frowning at the dark expression on his friend's face.

"I rather like you the way you are, Lucky," Ambrose said.

"I don't," Lucky said with a shrug. Ambrose frowned again.

"But you like your parents now, right?" he asked.

"They're okay," Lucky said with another shrug, taking a large bite out of her sloppy sandwich before deciding to pour more mustard on it.

"I think they're splendid," Ambrose said. "I know you're going to think it's silly, but I used to wish Uncle Severus was my father when I was little."

"You're still little," Lucky snorted. Ambrose simply grinned at her. He must have been feeling somewhat better, because he realized there was a sandwich in front of him. "What made you change your mind, anyhow?"

"What? Oh, I haven't changed my mind exactly," Ambrose said thoughtfully, taking a moment to nibble on his sandwich. "I suppose I've just grown out of daydreaming about it, especially since he can't be my really real father. I just spend my time wondering who my really real father is and why my Mum doesn't want me to know who it is."

"I think it's the Professor trying to keep you from finding out, Bill," Lucky admitted quietly.

"Well, yes, I know that, Lucky, but I just don't understand why my Mum would go along with it," Ambrose said.

"Ya, I see what you mean," Lucky said thoughtfully, but then shrugged. "I doubt she'd go along with it forever. I mean, I bet they plan to tell you when you get older or something."

"A lot of good that does me now, Lucky. I don't want a new father when I don't know who my actual father was. Would you?" Ambrose asked, but Lucky got that peculiar frown on her face, gazing at him if she were staring right through him.

"I think you're askin' the wrong person that question, Bill," Lucky said. She immediately turned her attention to her sandwich, refusing to acknowledge anything else. But Ambrose had seen her get that way so many countless times before that it didn't bother him, he simply turned to his own food as well, although he did keep an eye out for the others until finally waving Connie and Gary down when they came out of the deli with a tray.

"You would decide to sit out here!" Connie said with exasperation.

"A bit soft to be eating outdoors, isn't it?" Gary asked, but took a chair beside them.

"It is a bit damp now. I hope it didn't ruin Mr. Dimple's paint job from this morning," Ambrose said.

"Well, I don't know who Mr. Dimple is, but if he's the one who has been fixing up the shops on that end of town, he's doing a splendid job of it. Your mother's shop looks fantastic, Ambrose!" Connie said sincerely.

"Thanks!" Ambrose said with a weak smile.

"So how are you doing on the pledges and stuff? Bobby and the others were wondering if you wanted to go to the Grove before we left tonight," Gary asked.

"If the rain lets up," Lucky shrugged. "We've hit up most of 'em, tho the Divine Vision only gave us a galleon and told us to get lost."

"Oman has always been stingy," Connie said. "He thinks the school has been giving his shop a bad reputation lately and it's hurting business. Father says that he and Snape have had words on occasion. Snape has told people that Oman nothing but a charlatan, and Oman thinks they never should have hired him as Headmaster, and that's what's really behind it."

"Well, some of the stuff in there is a bit questionable," Gary admitted with a grin. "But it is a fun shop to look around in, and a good place to pick up novelty gifts when Toby isn't open."

"All the same, I hope Mr. Toby comes back soon," Connie said.

"Me too," Ambrose said. "I kinda want to get his advice on something."

"Like what, Ambrose?" Gary asked.

"Oh um… family stuff," Ambrose said.

"Come on, hurry up and eat so we can head to the Sports Shop. I still need to see about getting a signature there before we try and track down your brother," Lucky suggested.

"You haven't been in there yet?" Gary said. "You should like it. They added more football stuff over the summer on account of Hogwarts having teams now."

"In that case, what are we waiting for?" Lucky said, Gary and Connie instantly protesting and having to wolf down their sandwiches while Ambrose and Lucky cleaned up theirs. But Lucky couldn't help but be rather disappointed when they got there and started looking at the section, frowning at the balls a moment before taking a good look at the shoes. "This is no good! Everything in here is charmed in some way!" she sighed. "And look at these Dragon-biters, they're just wanna-be Predators, only they're charmed," she complained.

"Charmed to leave no lasting marks on turf; self-cleaning," Connie read from the tag. "If you ask me, that's suits you perfectly, Lucky," she teased. "They're also supposed to help with kicking strength."

"I don't want charmed equipment," Lucky scowled, putting them back.

"Well don't look now, but from the looks of that line, Slytherin house disagrees with you," Gary said.

Frowning, Lucky walked around to where Gary was standing at the end of the aisle, the growled when she saw Dirk, Bindy, Jill, Helena, the Coventries, and the rest of the Slytherin team standing in line with balls, shoes, and even socks.

"What the hell do the socks do?" Lucky asked, looking back around.

"Um, protects the ankles from sprains, and helps with balance and speed," Connie read. "At least the balls are fairly normal, except they're charmed not to go flat."

"Well, I'm having words with Brittle about it. We're supposed to be following Association rules," Lucky said.

"You sure she'll listen, Lucky? She is the head of Slytherin House, after all," Ambrose pointed out.

"Ya, but she's always been fair when it's come to sports. Anyhow, let's get outta here. I've seen enough."

"But what about the fountain, Lucky?" Ambrose asked.

"I don't wanna talk to them. They charmed every piece of equipment they got," Lucky said.

"Lucky, this is Hogsmeade, what do you expect?" Connie chuckled at her.

"A little respect for the game wouldn't hurt," Lucky snapped.

"Lucky, I am totally with you on this, because I don't like it any more than you do. But Connie has a point too," Gary said. "Muggle anything is seen as nothing but a novelty to some who didn't grow up with it like we have, and I imagine they thought they'd try spicing things up a bit by adding magic to what they see as a tedious sport. I seriously doubt they meant to be disrespectful."

"That doesn't mean it isn't," Lucky snapped.

"Well, yeah, I know," Gary sighed.

"Here, let me get the signature, Lucky, you guys just go wait outside," Ambrose suggested.

"I'll go with you, Ambrose," Connie said, not quite sure what the big deal was about.

"Come on, Lucky. Let's go outside and see if we can spot Bobby and Dale," Gary suggested. Ambrose and Connie went over to the counter, getting dirty looks from those standing in line.

"Yes? Mr. Bailey, is it?" a man wearing a Quidditch jersey asked from where he stood helping the main clerk by wrapping and bagging.

"Yes, actually, we're here from the Order of the Owls to talk to somebody about the school fountain," Ambrose explained.

"Ah, yes! Rosmerta mentioned it when I popped in at lunch. I'll be with you in a moment or two, once things slow a bit," he promised, waving them off to the side.

"Pathetic that they would even have to beg for it," Don snorted, despite the fact he refused to look in their direction. "My father would have donated all the money outright on Elizabeth's behalf, but Snape turned him down!"

"I believe you're missing the point, Don," Dirk said with a rather tired sigh.

"No, I'm not. I know for a fact that the only reason Snape could have to turn my father down would be because Snape doesn't want to feel that he or the school is indebted to him in any way," Don said with distaste.

"All right, perhaps you don't miss the point," Dirk decided. "After all, my father's company could probably have done the same…"

"Oh, give me a break, Atchison!" Don snorted. "Your family would have been nothing if that stupid swamp your grandfather wallowed in hadn't turned out to have mud perfect for cauldron sealant. You'd still be farming hogs and swamp eels."

"Yes, but at least I wouldn't have been the son of a squib," Dirk said calmly. Don clenched his fists, thinking very hard about what he wanted to do to Dirk someday when he caught sight of Ambrose.

"What are you smirking at, you slimy little bastard? It's better than what your mother has been whoring about with lately," Don snapped. Ambrose's face went as white as a sheet. "What do you suppose your father did for her? Fix the gutters?"

"That's enough, Coventry," Atchinson warned.

"Just ignore him, Ambrose. It doesn't mean anything, coming from him," Connie said quietly.

"Oh, butt out, Weasley!" Don snapped.

"Hey! Leave my sister out of it!" Helena warned him. "Or you want me to drag your brother into it?" Mike, who had simply been standing behind Don in line sniggering, suddenly looked serious.

"At least he's not an effin no good Gryffindor. But then, your family always has been wizard trash, hasn't it?" Don said. Dirk and Bindy both had to stop Helena from pulling her wand, and it probably would have broken out into a fight then and there if it hadn't been for the fact that in just that moment Professor Craw walked in with a baby girl in her arms and Madame Brittle not far behind.

Immediately Madame Brittle noticed the furious tension traveling through the 'line', while a nervous clerk stood behind the counter, uncertain who was next but just as uncertain if he should say anything at all.

"Is there a problem?" Brittle asked dangerously, the Slytherin quickly falling back in line while Jennifer walked up beside her, noticing Connie's protective arm around Ambrose.

"Ambrose, are you all right?" Jennifer asked, gazing at him over the rim of her spectacles.

"Fine, Professor," Ambrose murmured, her eyes immediately darting over to Don.

"Madame Brittle, Mr. Don Coventry is behaving in a way that misrepresents the school. In fact, if he were back at Hogwarts, he'd be burping up soap bubbles by now," Craw complained.

"Don, please don't make me send you back to the school on your first outing," Brittle said with a sigh. "Really, it'd be nice if I actually made it home this weekend for a change."

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true, Madame Brittle," Don said defiantly, while Helena was glaring at him viciously and Ambrose was looking at his feet. But then Connie nudged him, and Ambrose noticed the clerk had his hand out, so Ambrose went over and gave him the donation sheet.

"Perhaps it'd be better if for the remainder of the trip you just didn't say anything," Brittle suggested. "Or at least not say anything to those you wouldn't necessarily associate with anyway."

"Well, perhaps you have a point there," Don decided, ignoring the critical look that Dirk and Helena were both giving him. Brittle nodded, but then took careful note of what her students were buying.

"By the way, I should probably also tell you that the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw football teams have expressed concerns on whether we should allow charmed equipment during games this spring or not," she warned. Immediately everyone on the team began to protest.

"There are no rules against it, Madame Brittle," Dirk pointed out.

"Really, most of the equipment changes are there to prevent injuries. How can anyone go against that?" Bindy said.

"It isn't as if they can't buy it as well, if they have the funds, that is," Mike put in.

"Yes, well, perhaps that is all true," Brittle nodded. "But if Gryffindor and Ravenclaw both decide to make it a team rule to ban the equipment, and then Hufflepuff decides to do the same, I'm afraid it'll be in the best interests and fairness of the league to do it across the board. Of course, you could still use it for training or casual play. I doubt anyone would protest that," she added diplomatically when she saw both clerks looking up with a frown.

"What if we just convinced the two teams opposing it that perhaps there's no reason for concern and talk them out of banning it?" Dirk suggested.

"Well, yes, I suppose that is an option as well," Brittle agreed. "But considering who their team captains are… good luck," she added dryly, taking Gloria from Craw before finally stepping out. Professor Craw lingered, waiting to escort Ambrose and Connie back out.

"There you are, Mr. Bailey. All squared away," the man behind the counter said, handing him back the sheet.

"So how are you guys doing on the fund raising, Ambrose?" Jennifer asked.

"Real good, actually! Honeydukes, the Three Brooms and now the Sports Shop all put down the maximum, and Zonko's is going to let us sell some of their green label joke products for a fund raiser too!" Ambrose said as they walked out to where Lucky and Gary were standing with Bobby, Dale, Lindsay and Laura.

"Well, make sure they're green, and don't you dare do it during or in between classes," Jennifer warned, looking pointedly at Lucky who simply gazed expressionlessly back at her. "Personally, I'd save it for weekends only so there isn't any question about it."

"Can we sell them during the Spectral Ball?" Lindsay asked.

"It's all right with me, but I suggest you clear that with Mr. Carnegie, since he's likely to be the one to clean up the mess if there's anything questionable in there," Jennifer decided. Lucky grimaced.

"Don't worry, I'll handle that," Laura reassured them.

"Any other fundraiser plans besides those joke products that might affect security?" Jennifer asked.

"Only if you guard against bellyaches," Bobby joked.

"We were thinking of having a bake sale," Lindsay explained. "Right before the holidays, so they can take them home with them."

"Yes, and perhaps even do gift boxes or something, in case some want to give them as gifts," Laura said.

"That sounds promising, although I'm not sure the House Elves will let you use the kitchen. They've been a little put out this week for some reason," Jennifer said with amusement, despite the fact it was obvious that Lucky didn't find it particularly funny.

"Don't worry, we're going to use the kitchen at the Popcorn Farm, that way we won't be in the way," Lindsay said. "Mom already said she'd supervise."

"Well, as long as it's supervised, I suppose I need not worry too much. Will you be allowing faculty to contribute?" Jennifer asked.

"If you have something in mind, sure, we'd love it!" Ambrose said enthusiastically.

"Actually, I was going to ask Sagittari about it," Jennifer said mischievously. "Anyhow, I need to go track down my father. If you decide to go down the Grove today, I have but one small request. Ambrose, I want you to make sure you stay with Dale until you get back into town."

"What!" Ambrose said indignantly. "I don't need a babysitter! I've been there hundreds of times!"

"You are on school time now, Mr. Bailey, and I'd feel a lot better if you simply do as I asked. Dale is the oldest here and to be perfectly honest, with the way things were going in there, I think it'd be best for everyone if you stayed out of trouble for the rest of the day."

"I wasn't doing anything, Professor. They started it," Ambrose said.

"Who started what?" Lucky asked, squinting.

"Don't worry, Professor, we were all planning to go down there together anyway," Dale said.

"Good, that's all I needed to hear," Jennifer said with a smile. "I'll be at the Pigs Pannage if you need me, and don't lose track of time. The bus comes early now, you know."

"Yes, Professor," Dale said, turning to the others. Ambrose still had an annoyed look on his face, while Connie gazed at him sympathetically.

"So what happened?" Lucky asked again. Connie glanced at the door of the Sports Shop, noticing that several of the Slytherin team were beginning to come out and were hanging outside.

"Let's talk while we walk down there," Connie suggested, waving to Helena, who was standing out front talking to Pimra. Helena made several gestures with her hands, and Connie made a quick gesture back.

"Are they coming?" Ambrose asked.

"No, they've still not made it to Honeydukes, apparently," Connie said.

"I don't envy them then, going in there this time of day. The lines will be murder," Gary said with a shake of the head. "Come on, let's get going."

"Why don't you lead, Ambrose? I'm sure you know that area better than the rest of us," Dale suggested.

"I'm sure I do!" Ambrose agreed, his sullen look immediately disappearing as they walked out of town, Laura grinning at Dale with an approving smile. "It ought to be quite pretty with all the fallen leaves, although really, winter it's the prettiest. Then again, spring's nice too…"

"What? Nothing to say about summer?" Bobby teased.

"I never have time to go there in the summer!" Ambrose admitted. "Especially last summer, what with work and all."

"Working at ten! Can you imagine!" Gary said.

"Imagine it? I have been working since I was two," Dale said dryly, Lucky throwing him a dirty look. "Still, I can't think of a better summer job than working for Mr. Toby. I think if it were offered to me, I'd have done it in a heartbeat."

"What? Leave the world of glamour and endless girls to throw on an apron and be a shop boy? That I'd like to see," Bobby snorted at him, shaking his head.

"I'm serious, Bobby. I think it'd be absolutely fascinating," Dale said, smiling at his friend's disbelief.

"It was, very much so!" Ambrose said enthusiastically, heading straight over to the path between the trees. Lucky watched warily as the trees along the path almost seemed to bow out of their way as they entered and strode up the path.

"Sure we're allowed in here?" Gary asked warily, apparently having noticed the strange behavior of the trees as well. "Isn't this a part of the Dark Forest?"

"It was once, but it's considered its own place now," Ambrose said. "Besides, Professor Craw knew where we were going, remember?"

"It's just that it feels rather odd, is all. I swear that tree over there was quite literally shaking some of its leaves off of one of its limbs just now," Gary said.

"You should try reading your History book instead of sleeping on it," Ambrose sighed. "This grove is on the very spot where Bansidhe Mound once stood, the very hill Salazar's Tomb was and where Voldemort died. It corrupted the earth here for years, until Doctor Sagittari used the horn from Keki to heal the earth."

"I knew all that," Gary said irritably, glancing around. "But that doesn't explain why the place is so odd."

"Even when the evil was released, the energy from all the magic of the Tomb and everything that happened within is still here, Gary," Laura explained. "All that energy turned into Wild Magic, the same magic that was used to heal it. So, although it may not be an evil place anymore, it can be a bit peculiar."

"Well, I for one have always loved it," Lindsay said. "It always feels so safe and peaceful here."

"Well it gives me the creeps," Gary said.

"Everything gives you the creeps, Gary," Bobby sighed. "I've heard you say the same about Professor Aurelius."

"Yeah… funny, they sort of creep me out in the same sort of way too," Gary mused, Bobby simply rolling his eyes in response. "Hey, what's with the big rock over there where the paths meet? Left over from the rubble when this thing blew, I suppose?"

"That's the Lia Fal, of course," Ambrose said. "The Stone of Destiny, a symbol of the power of Tuatha de Danaan. It would sing for any heir to the throne and weep for the pretender. It's Snape's job to protect it."

"Then why would he keep it out here?" Connie asked.

"I don't know really. Maybe that'd be a good question for our next Ancient Magic class…"

"Hey! I thought you lost us points any time you asked questions in that class?" Lindsay frowned.

"Yes, but it would be worth it," Ambrose decided.

"Well, there is such a thing as asking too many questions, you know," Lindsay scolded him.

"I am afraid that you are probably wasting your breath pointing that fact out to him, Lindsay," said a woman's voice. Everyone looked up in surprise to see a tall pale woman standing beside the stone as if she had been there for quite some time, even though none of them had noticed her before. And despite the fact it was calmly said and quietly spoken, the voice seemed to carry over all the sounds around her. "I seriously doubt that is a lesson he will ever learn."

"Who are you?" Ambrose asked, knowing he had seen her somewhere before.

"This is my Aunt Viviane," Lindsay explained. "Well, my mother's Aunt Viviane, actually."

"Wait a minute," Dale said, gazing at the figure warily, getting a peculiar mix of feelings when he looked at her, including everything from familiarity to excited anticipation to dread. "You don't mean she's…"

Suddenly Dale grabbed Ambrose's arm and pulled the boy behind him, ignoring the boy's protests as his face went as white as a sheet.

"I remember you now! You're the lady who was arguing with Toby in the shop last spring! Do you mind? How come everyone keeps doing that?" Ambrose complained as Dale tried to push him back a little further when Viviane walked over to them.

"Because they're foolish mortals who for some reason or another have decided you need to be protected from me," Viviane snorted. "Tell me, Ambrose, are you tired of being protected all of the time?"

"I sure am!" Ambrose agreed emphatically, despite the fact that Dale wasn't giving him any leeway.

"Aunt Viviane?"

Viviane looked over with an unreadable expression as Anna walked up the path, then smiled guardedly at her.

"Good afternoon! Pleasant day for a walk, isn't it? Especially here," Anna said casually, watching as some of the lower branches swept their own leaves out of the pathways and under their trunks like blankets. "You know, I really need to figure out how to get my trees at home to do that."

"It is always nice to see you, Anna," Viviane said in a collected tone. "Although I'm not so certain that a casual walk brings you to the grove today. You don't seem very surprised to see me."

"No, I gave up being surprised about anything you do years ago," Anna said with a smile. "Actually, I came to check on Lindsay, it's getting late, you know. We have an earlier schedule on these weekends now," Anna explained to Viviane.

"Still nervous of vampires, is he?" Viviane asked, but Anna pretended not to hear it, glancing over her shoulder at the students. Lucky squinted at her, wondering if 'he' referred to who she thought it did.

"She's right, we probably should be heading back to town," Dale said quickly. "I promised Professor Craw we wouldn't be in here too late, after all. Let's go, maybe we'll have time for butterbeers or something before we go, my treat."

"If you're paying, I'm in," Bobby said, glad that someone finally said something that made sense to him.

"Come on, Ambrose, I don't remember where the first turnoff is to get back to Hogsmeade," Dale said, still keeping a firm hand on him as they took to the path, despite the boy's attempts of shrugging it off.

"Why are you doing that?" Ambrose complained.

"I don't want to get lost," Dale said evenly, the others shrugging at each other as they followed behind.

"Care to come back home with me for a cup of tea, Aunt Viviane? I visited Aunt Tony over the summer and she brought up a few family events that would probably interest you," Anna offered.

"Oh very well, I suppose I can afford an hour for that," Viviane decided, watching the children thoughtfully. "But first, might I ask who sent you?"

"What do you mean?" Anna asked.

"Exactly that," Viviane said with a thin knowing smile. "Because if it was who I think it was, there is something you really should know. If Jennifer was the one who told you to come look for me, she did not do it to protect Ambrose. She did it to protect herself."

* * *

"So would anyone tell me what that was all about?" Ambrose said, but when he glanced around he soon realized that Dale was the only one refusing to look at him. "How come you pulled me behind you like that?"

"Because that lady we just met cannot be trusted, Ambrose," Dale said. "Let's just leave it at that."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Lindsay wondered. "I've heard father say it too, as well as my uncle, but she's always been very kind to me."

"The point is that I don't think Professor Snape would approve of Ambrose talking to her, and since Craw asked me to keep an eye on him, I felt it my obligation to do so," Dale said.

"I don't need a babysitter! I'm a fourth year, and the top of my class in Defense, and everything else for that matter," Ambrose said.

"Bailey is right," Don said, the group looking up the path at where Don stood with a sneer on his face, while Mike munched on candy out of a Honeydukes bag. "Bailey doesn't need a babysitter. What he needs is a wet nurse. And since his mother's tits seem to be occupied, he'll get it from anywhere he can. Isn't that right, Lucky?"

Instinctively Dale moved to block Lucky before she launched herself at the boy, but the action allowed Ambrose to get out his wand. Fortunately, among cries of warning from the others, Laura stepped in front of Ambrose.

"Put that away at once! That's fifteen points for pulling a wand, Ambrose! And Don, fifteen points for being totally offensive!"

"You can't take points off when we're not at school, you're simply a hall monitor!" Don snorted at her. "Stop trying to play teacher suck-up, you green shaggy bitch, and get out of my way."

"Fine! Ambrose, wipe the floor with him," Laura said with a growl, stepping out of the way.

"Laura, what are you doing?" Dale said in surprise.

"We'd better stand back," Connie decided, while Lindsay looked around, wondering if her mother and aunt were still around.

"Oh, no you don't, you stay out of this," Bobby said, grabbing Mike and keeping him from pulling his own wand when Don did. "Let's see if your brother can handle the heat without the backup for a change."

"Don, I suggest you back down and apologize. He does have a year on you," Dale advised.

"I'm not apologizing to that ankle biter, not when everything I've said is true!" Don said.

_"Bis Infantia!" _Ambrose snapped, throwing the Toddler's Curse on Don and hit him dead on. Don had been in the process of casting a spell of his own, but nearly put his eye out when his wand hand came up to suck his thumb. "I'm not the one acting like a baby, Don. I'm tired of you badmouthing my mum and my friends and it's time you put a plug in it!"

"There should have been a plug in your mother to keep you from being born, if you ask me," Don spat out. "You are definitely the most unfortunate accident she's ever had, and now we have to pay the price for it."

Lucky's hair began to stand on end, and a memory jolted into her mind, throwing her into a panic as she saw the look of cold fury on Ambrose's face.

"No, don't, Ambrose!" she shouted and charged out between them just as a blinding flash of light completely encompassed the entire group. When the light returned both Lucky and Don lay on the ground, Don moaning loudly while Lucky wasn't moving at all.

"Lucky!" Dale said, immediately running over, while Ambrose broke out into a scream of terror.

"Don!" Mike shouted, hurrying to his side as Bobby turned to quickly snuff out the smoldering leaves around them.

"Let me see her!" Lindsay said, getting on the other side of her to see her face. "I think she's just stunned. Her face looks burnt, though. Lucky, can you hear me? Lucky?" she repeated when Lucky didn't answer right away.

"Um guys?" Gary said, looking up warily.

"Not now, Gary! Can't you see Lucky's hurt?" Connie snapped angrily, while Laura took off her jacket it and put it around Ambrose, who was still standing in the same spot helplessly.

"Hey, what about me!" Don said, when Mike helped him sit up.

"Oh, dry up, Coventry! You should be thanking her right now, that blast was meant for you, you know!" Bobby snapped.

"I wasn't trying to hurt him that bad!" Ambrose said anxiously.

"Guys?"

"Oh, shut up, Gary!" Lindsay said. "Lucky? I think I saw her move," she said, and then finally everyone saw her slowly move her arm.

"Who switched the jumper cables?" Lucky murmured softly, and several of them sighed with relief.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Laura asked.

"Is she delirious?" Connie asked.

"No," Dale said with an exasperated sigh. "What is the matter with you, Lucky? Jumping out in front of him like that when it was obvious what was going to happen… well, maybe not that exactly, but something was going to happen! What were you thinking?"

"I just didn't want anyone to get hurt," Lucky said irritably.

"And so you dove in the middle of a wand fight? That makes a lot of sense," he said with a sigh. "Maybe we shouldn't move her. Does someone want to run to town for help?"

"That's not going to be possible, I'm afraid," Gary said.

"What do you mean?" Laura asked, her arm still around Ambrose.

That was when she finally followed Gary's gaze upwards and they realized they were entirely surrounded by trees… very unhappy-looking trees… and there was no sign of the path at all.

A scream of surprise rang out from several of them as some of the trees' shadows grew longer and they looked as if their branches were moving towards them, and the canopy of autumn leaves began to close in. Laura quickly cast a flare spell, the bolt of fire somehow managing to get through before the branches covered the sky completely. A flash directed her attention back downward as the shadows of one of the trees seemed to loom over Don. He pointed his wand at a tree nearby that suddenly looked a great deal closer than it had been.

"Everyone get back! Don't do anything foolish!" Laura warned, noticing the rest had pulled their wands as well. "This is a peaceful place, they won't harm us."

"Won't harm us?" Don said in disbelief, staring at the tree that seemed to be sprawled out right over him. "Get away from me! Get away, or I'll burn you to cinders!"

"Are you crazy? Put those wands down! If you start a fire here, we'll all be in trouble!" Bobby snapped.

"Leave my brother alone!" Mike shouted at the tree as its limbs tries to slowly move downwards, pointing the wand at the tree as its limbs reached out to them.

"Stop!" Ambrose said, running over to them and pointing his wand at the tree. "Don't hurt them! It's my fault, not theirs!"

"I think the jury's out on that one," Lucky muttered softly.

"Ambrose, don't!" Lindsay shouted as Ambrose stepped in front of the two boys with his wand pointed at the tree.

The tree seemed to hesitate and back up, but then there was a bark of warning from the others as a limb suddenly came up behind Ambrose and gently picked him up by the waist and lifted him out of the way.

"Hey! Put me down!" Ambrose complained.

"_Immobulus!" _Laura shouted, casting at the tree as the others jumped up and did the same to those crowding in.

As chaos broke out below and spells began flashing left and right, Ambrose managed to squeeze himself out of the stiffened branches, wondering where his wand went until he saw it laying on the ground far below. Grimacing, he debated jumping down when he saw a shadow looming over him and quickly began scampering up the limb to try and escape it, for he had noticed a v-shape in the trunk above him and realized the trees wouldn't likely be able to get him there.

"Ambrose, look out!" Dale warned as yet another tree attempted to get to him, and he quickly cast again to try and immobilize the tree.

Almost instinctively, Ambrose leapt up to the next branch well away from the striking tree, doing the best he could to get to the center trunk. Ambrose was so busy trying to keep the trees nearby from getting another grip on him that he didn't realize just how high up in the tree he was, but Dale had, pushing his way through the other students in case he had to cast a feather fall.

Just as Ambrose got to a fork in the branch he was on and realized he was probably going to have to jump over, Mike screamed out his brother's name as one of the trees finally managed to break free of the Immobility spell and scoop Don up, raising him out of harm's way. And it was in that moment that Ambrose decided to risk it and leap over, realizing belatedly he wasn't going to make it.

"Ambrose!" Lindsay screamed, and Dale whipped his head around just in time to see Ambrose fall out of his view. But as Dale began to run over there, a small bird shot out from behind the tree, darting in and out of the branches that had seemed so threatening just a moment before.

"Ambrose?" Lindsay wondered questioningly.

"It's a small hawk!" Gary said at the same time Lindsay had said the boy's name.

"It's a falcon," Dale said evenly. "A merlin falcon."

"Like you're a bird expert now!" Gary said.

"Never mind that!" Laura snapped. "If he's all right, then help me! I immobilized the tree Don is in, but I will need help getting him down!"

The falcon swooped in and alighted on a branch near Don, staring confusedly at where the boy lay sleeping peacefully within a cradle made out of a pair of red-leafed branches.

"Wait a minute! Where's Lucky?" Connie exclaimed, and Dale whipped around and looked over their heads.

"Up there!" Dale said, pointing at where another tree had gathered its own branches together and had scooped her up as well. Ambrose let out a piercing cry, and they looked over to see him slowly trying to change back while still maintaining his position on the branches. Immediately another branch came up to aid him, and without hesitation, Ambrose used it to steady himself

"Wait! I don't think they're hurting them!" Ambrose shouted. "I… I think they were just trying to help!"

Lindsay and Laura hesitated, pulling up their wands and watching the trees as they slowly began to recover. Dale cast a climbing spell of himself and quickly made his way up the tree holding Lucky, peering down at her unexpectedly peaceful sleeping face.

"He's right," Dale decided after checking her arm for temperature. "I think they were just trying to protect them after they got hurt. Everyone stay your spells!"

"Are you sure? I mean, they still surrounding us," Gary pointed out, gazing at the trees warily.

"Probably to keep our fight from affecting the rest of the grove," Dale said. "After all, whatever Ambrose cast did cause a bit of a spark. It could have spread."

"Just what did you cast, Ambrose?" Bobby asked.

"I didn't I just… well, he started it!" Ambrose blurted out.

"Don't you dare blame that on him! After all, he didn't cast anything, you did," Mike snapped, trying to find a safe way up the tree to sit with Ambrose and his brother. "Besides, we need to worry about getting them down and getting out of here!"

"You know, I think for once he has a point," Bobby sighed, glancing at the ring of trees. For despite the fact that they seemed to be recovered from the spells, the trees didn't seem in any hurry to let them go. "Any ideas on how we can get out of here?"

"And how we're going to get these two down from here," Dale added, still sitting between the branches near Lucky.

"Well, I think us calming down is probably a step in the right direction," Laura decided, putting away her wand. "Even if no one saw the flare, it isn't like someone won't notice something odd when all the trees are across the path like this. Surely someone will notice something's wrong."

Realizing there was nothing left to do but to wait, the students on the ground reluctantly took seats in the middle of the tree ring. Fortunately, only a few short minutes passed before they heard a low, airy note in the distance.

"What was that?" Connie asked.

"Some sort of horn, I should think," Lindsay said thoughtfully.

Before anyone could say anything else, several of the trees began to react to the sound, their shadows growing strange and tall, reaching up towards the sky until slowly the canopy above them seemed to pull away and a stream of sunlight washed over them. The sound of hooves brought their attention back towards the ground, and they saw with some surprise that the path had opened up again and most of the trees had returned to normal except for the two still holding injured students. The unmistakable figures of the Headmaster and Doctor Sagitarri then hurried over to them, the doctor wearing a Spear on his back and a centaur horn around his neck.

"What has happened here?" Snape asked, and everyone began to talk at once. "Wait! One at a time! What is it, Miss Lupin?"

"Professor, Don and Lucky were both injured. The trees still have them," Laura said quickly. "There was a fight…"

"Doctor, if you please," Snape said quickly, glancing up. He went over to the tree Mike was sitting in as Sagittari raised the horn once more and let out a series of short notes. The strange shadows returned and their branches seemed to stretch, allowing the trees to gently lay them on the ground, Mike and Dale both having to jump at the end to keep from falling off. Snape knelt down and looked Don over. "Energy burns on the right hand, arm and the right side of the face, nothing major," he said.

"If so, it seems that Miss Snape took the brunt of it," Sagittari mused, and Snape immediately got up.

"Laura, stay over here until he wakes up," Snape said and strode over to where Sagittari was kneeling beside Lucky. Snape darted a dirty look at where Dale was hovering nearby, and reluctantly the boy stepped away from her. "And what have you to say about all of this?" he inquired, having no intention of him getting off that easy.

"Don and Ambrose were fighting and Lucky decided to jump in the middle of it," Dale said. "She said she was afraid someone would get hurt."

"Well, apparently someone did," Snape snapped, handing the doctor a burn balm.

"Don wasn't fighting!" Mike protested angrily. "He didn't get off a single spell! It was all Ambrose's doing, not his!"

"Ambrose was provoked, sir," Dale interrupted. "In fact, I was tempted to blast the lil' bugger myself."

"Where is Ambrose?" Snape asked, glancing around.

"He flew off the moment you got here," Mike said in annoyance.

"I beg your pardon?" Snape frowned.

"It was the trees, sir," Dale said. "When they began to move, they completely caught us off guard. They tried to grab him… to keep him away from Don, I think… and he ended up having to climb up and fell out of the tree. That's when he changed forms. I think he would have been in trouble otherwise."

"He's in trouble anyway," Snape said curtly.

"Professor, Don is waking up," Laura informed him, and Snape paused long enough to take the balm back from Sagittari and walked over there.

"You couldn't stay out of trouble for even one outing, could you?" Snape said, roughly rubbing the balm on the boy, ignoring his complaints.

"I didn't do anything! We were just taking a walk!" Don complained. "And then Bailey pulled a wand on me and blasted me!"

"I notice your wand is lying on the ground as well, Mr. Coventry," Snape said, standing back up.

"I only pulled it to protect myself! I didn't cast anything, but he cast two spells on me, and I've no idea what that last one was!" Don said.

"That will be dealt with. Right now I'm more interested in what might have provoked it," Snape said.

"Don was insulting his mother again, Professor," Laura said. "In fact, I took fifteen points off him for language and Ambrose for pulling his wand earlier." Don rolled his eyes. "Although it would have been more had I been allowed to take off more," she added, glaring.

"Yes, well, I can, and considering I have it on good authority that Professor Craw already warned you about this same issue earlier today, I expect there will be more points taken off. Either way, you're both going back to the castle early."

"What! But I didn't do anything!" Mike protested.

"All the same, I warned you both not to be involved in any incidents that resulted in a student injury. We are going to have a talk," Snape said.

"Miss Snape is awake, Headmaster," Sagittari said, and Snape turned and went back over to her, shaking his head at her when she looked up.

"Somehow we need to break you of this habit of becoming a human shield. You have other methods now, you know," Snape scolded her gently, getting only a shrug in response. "Did you not have your Tear necklace on?"

"Ya, but what does that have to do with anything?" Lucky asked, but Snape looked thoughtful.

"Perhaps nothing, come to think of it. Forget I brought it up," Snape said, and then glanced over at the doctor questioningly.

"She'll be all right, Professor, but the balm is going to need more time to work, and she'll need a second dose later this evening to make certain there's no scarring. I suggest she spend the night in the hospital ward to be safe," Sagittari advised.

"Very well, why don't you go ahead and get her back, and I'll take these two," Snape decided, turning to the others. "Mr. Chance, would you please return to town and find Professor Weasley. Tell her that Professor Craw wasn't feeling well and returned to the castle early, and that she's in charge and to meet with me in my study as soon as everyone's safely back. Also tell her to find Mr. Bailey and bring him with her. Miss Lupin, please escort the rest of these students back to Hogsmeade and encourage any students you meet on the path to head back to town. Things have been stirred up in this Grove enough for one day," Snape said with a sigh.

"Yes, Professor," Laura and Dale both said, glancing at each other before they all headed up the path. Shaking his head again, Professor Snape pulled a key out of his pocket and held it out to the twins. Grimacing at each other, they both took hold of it.

* * *

Jennifer cautiously Apparated around the corner and then quickly up to the door, knowing that the brick wall in front of Toby's shop would cover for her as she stepped in. The shop was dark and practically vacant of all goods, the shelves and displays all empty except for one next to a low stool where Ambrose sat making liberal use of both.

"There you are Ambrose," Jennifer said with a smile, the boy looking up in complete surprise.

"How did you get in here? How did you find me?" he asked.

"I suppose I got in here by the door just as you did, and I think I probably found you because you needed to be found," Jennifer said, walking over and sitting on one of the lower shelves. "How did you get in?"

"Mr. Toby said that I could come here if I got into any trouble while he was gone," Ambrose admitted.

"Hm. Well, somehow, I don't think this was exactly what he meant," Jennifer said with a crooked smile.

"No, probably not," Ambrose admitted uncomfortably. "Is Lucky all right?"

"Lucky is more worried about you," Jennifer said. "She'll be fine by tomorrow, Ambrose, but I believe the Headmaster is looking for you. He wants to get your side of what happened this afternoon."

"I know, but he'll try to find out why I wanted to blast Don, and I don't want to talk about it," Ambrose said.

"Oh, I'm sure he can guess," Jennifer said dryly. "Especially since I happened to mention to him what Don said earlier when I got back to the castle. In fact, I'm not even supposed to be here right now, but I wanted to make sure you were all right."

"Why? Where are you supposed to be?"

"I had a bit of a fainting spell at the bank, although it was more than likely something I drank at the Pig's Pannage that did it, nothing to worry about. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't worry the Headmaster by mentioning that I came back to look for you," Jennifer added. "But I was worried about you. So is everyone, really."

"I don't want everyone to worry," Ambrose sighed. "I suppose I ought to go back. I just… I didn't want to hurt him, I just want him to stop, Professor!"

"I know," Jennifer sighed. "And it's not your fault in any way, you know. Don is lashing out for other reasons, I think, and you are simply an easy target."

"Well, I'm tired of being an easy target, and I'm tired of him thinking my mum is too, especially since his mum is hardly any better in some ways, and mine is a lot nicer," Ambrose said, feeling angry again.

"She most certainly is," Jennifer agreed emphatically. "And perhaps that's part of the reason Don is so hard on you. I think he's a little jealous."

"I don't think he sounds very jealous," Ambrose said. "Besides, at least he has a loving father." Jennifer tried her best to hide her amusement, the look ending with a smile and a glance around the empty shop before focusing in on him.

"Ambrose, I know it's been very hard for you, growing up as you have with just a mother, and if were up to me alone, I would probably decide you were old enough to finally know the truth. But I promise you, Ambrose, that some day in the very near future, all of this fighting will seem very, very petty," Jennifer said with a serious smile. "And although there are also going to be obligations, and yes, even burdens that go along with that knowledge, you're not going to want to be anyone else but who you are."

"I can't see that, really. Most of the time, I'd rather be anyone else," Ambrose admitted somberly.

"Yes, I know. It'd be obvious to me even if I weren't a Truth Seeker," Jennifer said, getting up. "Personally, I like you the way you are, and I think a lot of what Don says would probably not hurt quite so much if you liked the way you were. Stop worrying about everyone else's opinion. All that matters is your own opinion and those of your loved ones. Unless, of course, you consider Don one of those?" Jennifer added with feigned innocence.

"No," Ambrose chuckled softly. "Not even close."

"Well then, it seems to me it isn't worth getting worked up about," Jennifer concluded. "Come on, you'd best get out there and face the music…er… but don't forget, I wasn't here."

"Yes, Professor," Ambrose grinned, and she smiled and nodded, Disapparating just on the other side of the threshold. Ambrose followed behind and closed the door tight before hurrying down the street. As he began to pass his mother's dress shop, he noticed Professor Weasley inside and went in himself.

"There he is," Hermione sighed with exasperation.

"Why, Ambrose! Everyone has been looking all over for you!" Ashley scolded him, but hugged him nonetheless.

"I'm sorry, but I had to think, Mum. I got in a fight with one of the boys at school in the Grove, and we got the trees all mad, and I guess I got a little scared about how much trouble I was going to get into," Ambrose said.

"Well, you are in trouble, but I don't think running is going to do you any good," Hermione said, shaking her head at him.

"What were you fighting about?" Ashley asked.

"Oh… uh… nothing important, Mum," Ambrose said, glancing over at Professor Weasley worriedly, but she didn't seem too interested in commenting at all.

"It must have been something important if you thought enough to fight about it," Ashley frowned at him.

"Come on, Ambrose. I promised I'd make sure you got on the bus and went straight to the study afterwards," Hermione said.

"Yes, Professor," Ambrose said gratefully. But as the two of them walked away, Ashley gazed out the window after him. Glancing around, she noticed a pair of girls that she recognized from Ambrose's order and excused herself long enough to go have a few words with them.


	18. Differing Levels of Trust

Eighteen

Differing Levels of Trust

When Severus finally got down to the Potion Lab, he found Jennifer curled up on the couch with her paperwork and dutifully sipping on a Pepper-up Potion.

"There you are, I was starting to wonder," Jennifer said, shaking her head. "Did you have to read them the entire school rulebook?" she teased mischievously.

"Nearly," Severus said, but then paused. "How did you hear about that, exactly?"

"Doctor Sagittari told me about it during my check up, and then afterwards I went to check on Lucky," Jennifer said. "She'll be all right. He's just keeping her to make sure she gets the proper doses of balms for those burns, although she was a bit irate that he suggested she not go to soccer practice tomorrow. Do you suppose… well, do you suppose it is a good sign? I mean, her protecting Ambrose like that. I wondered what she might have been thinking of at that moment."

"I admit I wondered about that myself," Severus said, sitting down. "And how are you feeling?"

"Perfectly fine, thank you. It was a simple dizzy spell because of being in that blasted safety deposit box room too long, just like I said, and Sagittari agrees with me. And he says you worry too much," Jennifer chided him.

"Yes, well, after last year, it is better to be cautious about it, don't you think?" Severus pointed out, a bit annoyed that the doctor commented at all.

"I never should have mentioned the dizziness to Taylor at all, knowing how you get," Jennifer said.

"Yes," Severus murmured, watching her carefully.

"So what did you decide to do about the twins?" Jennifer asked, glancing up from her work.

"Well, for a while I wasn't certain that I was going to be able to do anything at all. I had no proof whatsoever that Don did anything other than what Dale and Laura had told me, and since Ambrose decided not to comment past an admission of guilt. Fortunately, Aurelius showed up early and was able to fill in some blanks that the students apparently were leaving out. He was able to give me enough ammunition to prove that Don's vicious harassment of Ambrose was anything but 'ordinary student pandering' as Abraxus calls it. There was one curious event, however. Apparently, Aurelius received some sort of vague note that he was needed back here."

"Really? Who from?" Jennifer asked curiously.

"No idea. It turned to ash the moment he read it," Severus mused. "In any case, I'm asking the advisors to return as early as possible tomorrow to get this over with, as well as to give Hermione time to work on Michael's class changes. Oh, and apparently we need to see about getting Ambrose a new wand," he said. Finally there was a look of surprise on Jennifer's face. "It didn't survive the blast of energy he put out, although I believe it did help dilute it a bit. I'll need to find him something more suited to his talents, I think."

"Or at least less conductive?" Jennifer asked with amusement. Severus nodded thoughtfully.

"Perhaps, although I do not believe that was the only thing that subdued that blast. In some ways, he seems nearly as powerful as his half-sister when it comes to manipulating raw energy, but it seems much more contained than Ciardoth's power was. I don't think that necessarily means he is less powerful, although it's obvious he doesn't have the same level of fae blood as she did. I think rather that it may simply be that these years spent learning our standard methods of magic has dampened it somewhat," Severus said. Jennifer nodded.

"Albus once told me that one of the reasons Anna ended up being an Aethermage was because she had no training to keep that ability from developing. This is rather like that in a way, isn't it?" Jennifer asked.

"That's my theory, at any rate," Severus shrugged.

"Sounds like it's a good thing he snuck in early then," Jennifer said in a teasing tone.

"Spare me the 'I told you so," Severus said dryly, getting up and turning off the burners for her. "I suppose you must feel I'm trying to hold him back too much."

"No, not really, not as far as his magic is concerned at any rate. He's going to need discipline first and foremost, and restraint is a fundamental part of discipline, after all," Jennifer said. "Of course, on the other hand, I'm wondering if not telling him who is father is might be doing more damage than good at this point."

"Yes, well, a lot of that problem is Donald's doing and is likely to clear up once he realizes he has no one to back him up when his mouth gets away from him," Severus said. "Besides, I am more than a little concerned how quickly his true heritage might be discovered by the general public if he finds out prematurely, not to mention how much pressure that might put on a boy his age…"

"Ambrose is more than capable of handling it and you know it, Severus," Jennifer said, shaking her head. "You just don't want to be the one who takes his childhood away from him. But that's not the only thing influencing his maturity, you know. It also doesn't help that all his classmates are fourteen and fifteen now and on the verge of trying to decide for themselves what adulthood means to them. He's going to feel that pressure early no matter what we do."

"Perhaps," Severus admitted, thinking of the boy's close friendship with Lucky. "But his learning that through his friends still wouldn't be as abrupt as what would come from knowing about this, Jennifer."

"Maybe not as abrupt, no," Jennifer agreed. "But all the same, I think Ambrose is going to feel more than a little relieved when he finds out the truth."

"Yes, until he realizes who his half-sister was," Severus said somberly, glancing at his watch. "I wonder if Ashley would allow me to add Ambrose to my watch?" he asked almost out of the blue. "Just in case he disappears on us like that again, especially now that he seems to have acquired his Animagus form."

"I'm quite sure Ashley would be more than fine with it, actually, not that I think Ambrose would bolt," Jennifer said. "But I don't know how you'll manage putting another name on there without taking some off. You may have to finally give in and at least take off Corey's hand and some of the other hands..."

"I like having them there during family emergencies, Jennifer," Severus said defensively. "You would be no more willing to take names off your own watch than I am mine. Besides, all it needs is a small adjustment to fit another hand in," he said, inspecting it. "There's plenty of room for more." Suddenly it seemed to get eerily quiet, and he looked up to see Jennifer beaming at him.

"Don't you dare even think of reading too much into that, Jennifer. I was only talking about the watch," Severus scowled warily at her. "And I was talking about Ambrose, so stop looking at me like that. Especially in those silly rose spectacles of yours. Why ever do you have them on? You're going to ruin your eyes looking through them while you're reading like that."

"I suppose I must have forgotten to take them off," Jennifer said quickly. Reluctantly she took them off, and he descended on her and took them before she could stuff them in a pocket. He sat down on the edge of the couch next to her, gazing at her steadily.

"Are you quite certain there isn't something you want to tell me, Jennifer?" he asked. Jennifer gazed back at him with but then finally let out an uncomfortable chuckle.

"Why, Severus! I swear for a moment there, you sounded just like Albus…"

"That was a dodge, Jennifer," Severus sighed. "And I can't help but wonder where that note came from, or why you weren't surprised at all when I mentioned Ambrose has an animagus form, despite the fact I'm quite sure Lucky didn't know about it."

"Sagittari told me. Why are you so suspicious? Honestly, Severus, you could try trusting me for a change!" Jennifer said with exasperation.

"Perhaps it's only because I get the feeling that you are not telling me everything," Severus said.

"Nobody tells everyone everything, Severus," Jennifer said evenly. "Stars know you've never told me everything, not even from the first… come to think of it, especially from the first, despite the fact I trusted you implicitly. So I don't see how you can use that as a measure of trust at all. Rather, I think trust is all about knowing that you don't necessarily know everything, but still having faith that the person in question is acting in your best interests. And if that's the case, have I ever given you any reason not to trust me?" Severus met her gaze for a long time before finally shaking his head.

"All the same, even if they my have been in my best interests from your point of view, I hardly think everything you've done has been in your _own_ best interests, Jennifer," Severus murmured. "In fact, I can name a great many instances where it wasn't, so I'm sure you can't deny it. There are differing levels of trust, you know, and whether or not what you're doing is in my best interests or not isn't the point. It's not my interests that I'm worried about."

"I love you too, Severus," Jennifer said with a smile, leaning up and kissing him gently, and although there were a great many other things on Severus' mind that he wanted to ask her about, he suddenly felt no inclination and turned the subject onto more pleasant things.

* * *

Dale chewed on the inside of his cheek thoughtfully for a moment as he leaned on the wall beside Professor Weasley's classroom. Finally the class let out and a small group of students began to emerge. Laura noticed him and smiled at him questioningly as she walked over to him.

"Don't tell me, we're getting saddled with Mike, right?" she asked.

"Hm? No, at least… well, if we are, I haven't heard yet, and he wasn't at breakfast this morning," Dale said. "How was Symbology?"

"Rather tedious, actually," Laura admitted with a grin. "Although sometimes it can be a lot of fun. But I still don't know what you're doing here."

"I came to walk you to lunch, what else?" Dale shrugged.

"Yes, but you normally only do that when something's happened you wanted to tell me about," Laura said.

"Well, there is something I wanted to ask you about," Dale admitted, glancing down the hall behind them.

"And I'm running out of prompts," Laura said impatiently.

"Oh… uh, sorry," Dale said sheepishly. "I simply wanted to know if you wanted to go to the Spectral Ball with me is all."

Laura stopped walking and gazed at him steadily.

"What about Lucky?" Laura asked. Dale shrugged.

"Gave up on her some time ago. Over the summer, actually," Dale said. "She'll be going with Ambrose again, I imagine."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Laura said, but in a humoring tone as if she didn't quite believe him. "Although… Dale, it isn't as if I don't want to go with you, really," she began, his face already falling. "It's just… well, I'm Lindsay's best friend."

"So? She'll be going with Bobby as always, so we can team up if you like…"

"No Dale, there's just no way I could do that," Laura said. "Bobby or not, Lindsay's had a crush on you for years. You did know that, I hope?" Dale let out a sigh.

"Yes, Lucky has mentioned it before," Dale admitted. Laura nodded. "And I would no more get in Bobby's way than you would Lindsay's."

"Yes, well, then I suppose you understand my position," Laura said with an apologetic smile. "So I think I'm going to take a ghost again this year, and perhaps you should do the same. Besides, maybe I'll get lucky and she'll be over it by next Halloween. Then again, maybe you'll get Lucky because she'll be over it by next Halloween," she added dryly. Laura then decided to turn and walk ahead of him before she changed her mind, knowing full well that it'd probably be her last opportunity. But Dale simply sighed and looked after her wistfully, walking towards the Great Hall on his own while silently making plans to dodge Lindsay until Bobby finally bothered with asking her to go.

* * *

Delia practically couldn't wait for lunch. No one had gone to breakfast that morning that would tolerate sitting next to her, let alone talk to her, but she knew full well that the Owls were practically duty bound to do so. She couldn't be happier when Ambrose finally wandered in. He was frowning at the paltry amount of points that Hufflepuff had, for they had sank even further into fourth place, and was feeling quite glum about it despite the fact that Slytherin had slipped into a precarious third just under Gryffindor.

"There you are! What took you so long? I suppose you stopped in the kitchen to talk to Lucky again. Did you hear about what happened this morning?" Delia asked when Ambrose took the seat across from her. "Mike Coventry is a Hufflepuff now! I saw Professor Scribe moving him in."

"Yeah, I know. They decided it'd be best to move him in with a prefect," Ambrose said in annoyance. "So he's in the dorm with Cliff and me."

"What do you suppose prompted the Headmaster to do something like that?" Delia asked. "It's very rare for anyone to be switched out of a house like that, you know."

"Well, considering it's my fault, I'd rather not talk about it," Ambrose said, poking at his eggs.

"It isn't your fault, Ambrose," Lindsay said as she sat down beside them. "It's Don's fault if it's anyone's. If you ask me, I think Mike is going to be much better off with us, once he's adjusted, and I hope you'll all at least give him a chance."

"Sure, Lindsay, I don't mind," Ambrose shrugged.

"I'll talk to anyone," Delia said. "But what did Don do exactly? And what did you do?" she asked, turning back to Ambrose.

"Perhaps you should have gone to Hogsmeade this weekend, if you're so interested," Lindsay chided her.

"There really wasn't anything I needed, so I decided to stay home and write letters," Delia shrugged.

"Going to Hogsmeade is about more than just buying things, Delia," Lindsay said.

"What? Like getting in trouble and losing a lot of points?" someone asked. They looked over to see Cliff coming over with Mike following behind, walking as if someone put much too much starch in his Hufflepuff robes. "You can sit with me, Mike, there are no formalities at this table. Just relax and tuck in, eh? By the way, does anyone have a problem with me adding Mike to the football team?"

"I don't mind," Ambrose shrugged, but didn't look in his direction.

"I'm sure we'd love to have you," Lindsay said with more warmth.

"What, are you joking?" Delia said, ignoring the warning look that Lindsay was giving her. Winnie gazed warily between Delia and Mike and decided to sit on the other side of the table. "After the way he played last year? He tripped over the ball even more times than he tripped over his own feet!"

"You have no room to talk. I didn't see you playing last year, Agate," Mike said acidly.

"Well, no, but I am playing this year," Delia said.

"Delia's our little diamond in the rough, actually, although in some ways she's more rough than not," Cliff said, earning a dirty look from Delia. "But I was voted captain, so it's my decision… unless you don't want to play, of course."

"I suppose I might as well, if you really need me, that is," Mike said stiffly.

"All in fun, Mike, and it'll help you get to know your fellow housemates better," Cliff said.

"I'd much rather play to win, if it's all the same to you, really," Mike said. Down the table, some of the other students passed looks between each other. "Besides, I'd hate for all those lessons we took over the summer to go to waste." Immediately everyone was focused directly on him.

"Lessons?" Cliff asked. "You had lessons over the summer?" Mike looked up from his food and nodded.

"Don complained about the state of our team to father last year and how badly we played, so father hired some professional coaches to come in. He even turned part of the front lawn into a regular pitch. We were out there every day all summer long, except for the weekend of my mother's garden party, of course. Several of the other Slytherin even stayed at our house the whole time rather than have to go back and forth," Mike explained.

"The entire team had lessons?" Cliff repeated with a frown.

"Well, Don said it wouldn't matter about us having lessons if the rest of the team blew craters, so he convinced father to coach us all," Mike explained.

"So now we know why Slytherin didn't want to practice around the rest of the houses," Cindy said, glancing at Cliff.

"Mike, I think you've definitely earned the right to be on the team. How are you at goalkeeping?" Cliff asked.

"Fair enough, I suppose," Mike shrugged.

"Fair enough to stop one of Lucky's rockets?" Cliff asked.

"Willing to try at least," Mike agreed.

"Good, you'll be practicing with Delia then," Cliff said. The two of them frowned at each other suspiciously, but Mike nodded in acceptance to Cliff, despite the fact he was no happier about it than she was.

"I don't see why I have to practice with him," Delia said irritably.

"Because you need it, of course," Cliff said unconcernedly. Delia stabbed viciously at her food, while the Hufflepuffs decided to quickly change the subject to the upcoming ball.

* * *

Severus was marking papers in his sitting room a few days later when Jennifer hurried in from the study.

"How I hate when Halloween falls on a weekday, don't you?" she said as she passed by him.

"It happens more often than not," Severus said calmly, not even looking up as she went into the bedroom.

"Severus?" Jennifer called out, but he didn't bother to look up. "Where are my dresses? They're all missing!"

"Are they really all missing? I rather thought I left one," Severus said casually. Jennifer stepped into the doorway and stared at him.

"The only one in here is the one you got me for my birthday, and I'm not wearing that to a school function," Jennifer said firmly. "Where did you put them?"

"I gave them to Rasputin and Descartes for bedding," Severus said expressionlessly. Jennifer studied his face carefully and went over to his Cloak Chest. "It won't do you any good, Jennifer, I changed the lock."

"Fine, then I'll just go in school robes," Jennifer said defiantly.

"You can always do that," Severus agreed with a nod. "Of course, the Coventrys are sure to be here tonight, you know, to protest our 'mistreatment' of their sons."

"Fine, I just won't go at all then," Jennifer said resolutely.

"Very well, Jennifer, stay here and relax if you like. It's no trouble, I'm sure I can handle whatever security matters come up," Severus said unconcernedly, moving on to the next stack of papers. Jennifer stopped and gazed at him a long time before finally stomping towards the bedroom.

"I hate how you always seem to win," Jennifer complained, attempting to ignore the sinister smile that had crept across his face at the last moment. "Although it would be nice if we didn't have any trouble at all tonight."

"I never meant to imply I was expecting any, Jennifer," Severus said, organizing the papers to put them away.

"No, perhaps not, but there always is on Halloween, isn't there?" Jennifer said from the next room.

"Now, let's not get superstitious, Jennifer, there's always something going on in this castle on any day of the school year, including holidays. The date means nothing," Severus chided her.

"I suppose you're right," Jennifer sighed, gazing thoughtfully at the dress in the mirror and fixing her hair with the flick of a wand before wandering back over to the doorway. "All the same, I think I'm going to put Aurelius on door greeting so I can run a second round of security checks, at least to make certain that particular paintings that are supposed to be asleep really are asleep and that sort of thing."

"I suppose you have a point, and there's no harm in being cautious," Severus said, then glanced up at her, pulling off his reading glasses as he looked her over. "But don't take all night, will you? In fact, be as quick about it as possible," he murmured, stepping over to her.

"Is that approval?" Jennifer asked softly, smiling mischievously. "After all, you did pick out the dress."

"Simply gift wrapping," Severus murmured to her in a low voice.

"Well, if you feel that way about it, how about you let me get one of my other dresses?" Jennifer coaxed. "If you give me that gold button back, I can mend the one I got over the summer and I can wear it if you like."

"No," Severus said. "And you will never get that button back."

"Fine, then I'll just have to take my time with security checks," Jennifer said, pulling his hand away from her waist and checking the buttons on that side.

"Then I'll simply have to come looking for you, since there is no way I can take sitting through any sort of social event without you there to break up the boredom. You give me a rest bit from the foul taste I get in my mouth every time I have to put on diplomacy airs for people who show up simply to question every decision I have made that they felt personally offended by," Severus said, Jennifer simply chuckling in response.

"All right, I'll be as thorough but as fast as I can," Jennifer promised, kissing him gently only to have him putting his arm around her again and demanding something more lingering.

"You had better be, or I'll get even with you when you get back," he warned with a sinister smile.

"I expect you'll try to get even in either case, since I'm sure no matter what you'll say it wasn't fast enough to suit you," Jennifer parried knowingly, going back into the bedroom long enough to grab her Night Shroud. "I can't believe you bullied me into this dress. I'm not sure I really trust you, but I suppose I'll just have to risk it, won't I?" she said in a teasing tone before slipping out the sitting room door. Severus watched her with a frown, wondering about something she had said. He shrugged it off, deciding he was probably just imagining it.

Jennifer quickly did her rounds, starting from the top and working her way down. She checked on a few problem paintings and spent some time in the Trophy Room watching Caprica snore before going to the kitchen to have a few words with Zack Black, who was helping Peeves 'supervise' the House Elves' pie and cake baking. Students who would have been better off studying for their Defense exams wandered towards their rooms to put away their books for the evening. Ghosts passing her in the halls greeted her warmly, but were no more stirred up than usual. Everything seemed so normal, Jennifer thought with a frown. She slipped into the secret passage and then out into the corridor near the Potion Lab and then stepped into her office. After she secured the Cauldron by sliding it back into its hiding place, she glanced up on the mantle to see that the Severus portrait was not in his frame. Not that it was unusual, she mused, for he was more than likely busy stalking her own portrait around the castle. It was just as well, Jennifer decided, for she was quite sure that even the portrait of Severus wouldn't approve of what she was contemplating. She took the coin out of the locked box around her neck, making sure her office door was shut tight.

"I'm sure there's no harm in a quick look," Jennifer told herself, gazing at the Obol as she pondered her question. "Will everything remain quiet in the castle tonight?" she asked, flipping the coin into the air. As the coin finally spun to show the symbol of the Oracle, Jennifer relaxed, but then she grew quite curious when she saw the image of Severus appear, and he did not look happy. "Well, he doesn't look so quiet, does he?" Jennifer murmured, frowning as she saw they were in her sitting room. "How very strange, and he is apparently quite upset with me. Something about… my chasing vampires? Surely I didn't read that right!" she said her herself, watching with frustration as the image faded. "Chasing vampires? On Halloween? What an absurd idea! Well, at least it is when I have a job to do," Jennifer reminded herself, glancing around the room to make certain everything was put away so she could leave.

But as Jennifer picked up the coin, she found herself staring at it, knowing full well she really ought to put it away. She glanced at her research results, attempting to reassure herself by reading over the entries where she had successfully changed what the Obol had shown her. Finally she nodded to herself, deciding to flip it one more time, just in case.

"Is there a reason that I might want to leave the castle tonight?" Jennifer asked, flipping the coin. As the Oracle appeared and she watched the scene play out, she became more and more worried about what she saw. Cussing softly to herself, she glanced out at the early evening sky and did no more than check to make sure she had her wand before dashing out the front gates.


	19. Chasing Vampires

Chapter Nineteen

Chasing Vampires

Severus glanced at his watch to see Jennifer arrive at the Potions Lab just as he stepped into the Great Hall, surveying the room and nodding to several ghosts and students who greeted him. It was then that he happened to spy an extra table laid out beside the normal refreshments table and walked over curiously. Several students had gathered around the table and were picking out items while Lucky and Ambrose sat behind it with a locked coffer to keep any coins they made from the piles of novelties they were selling.

"And just what is this?" Severus asked with a disapproving expression. "Turning our annual event into a bazaar, Miss Snape?"

"It's a fundraiser for the fountain," Lucky said with a shrug. "We got permission first."

"Professor Craw said it was all right with her as long as Mr. Carnegie okayed what we sold," Ambrose added quickly. "And Professor Weasley set up the table!"

"And all three of them conveniently forgot to run it by me first," Severus said, glancing over at Lucky's deadpan face. "Not that I have any objections, although if I think of any later, I'll be back," he warned them darkly. Ambrose grinned at him as the Headmaster wandered off, giving the each of the nervous students buying the joke products a suspicious gaze before finally moving on.

Aurelius, standing near the door, quickly got his attention and then glanced to the back of the hall where Abraxus Coventry and Erik Dalance were busy watching a drum, fife, and set of bagpipes floating in air, accompanied by a much more modern keyboard that also seemed to be playing itself.

"Rather interesting collection," Erik said when he noticed Severus standing beside them. "Enchanted?"

"Ghosts, actually. Something new we thought we'd try this year, being this is their dance, after all. Zacchius Black put it together," Severus explained.

"Ah yes, your nephew! But where is the string section?" Erik wondered.

"Right in front of you," Severus said, nodding over to where the Fiddlers Three in the Old King Cole picture were playing. "We did have a devil of a time convincing the Fifth Floor Phantom that the keyboard was nearly as good as his old organ and at least this one is in key. Zack finally managed to talk him into it, as you can see."

"Yes, yes, yes, that's all quite interesting, but I hardly came here to talk such trivialities," Abraxus said.

"I did, actually," Erik said calmly, "trivialities, and also perhaps to talk about the upcoming Order of Merlin meeting, new candidates, you know. And I'm so glad you finally talked the doctor into it, Severus, it really will make things easier with all the Sentinels as members."

"Yes, although I can hardly take the credit. It was his own change of heart, not mine, really…" Severus said explained.

"Pardon me, Severus, but if you don't mind, I'd much rather talk about my boys," Abraxas said insistently.

"Oh, look! There goes Dale Chance, dancing with… ah, is that the ghost of Lady Charlotte? How did he ever coax her off the staircases?" Erik interrupted. "Excuse me, but I promised my grandson Darien that I'd try to get an autograph. He starts Hogwarts next year, you know, then you'll have a whole slew of us going on about our grandchildren. Why, you have one coming next year yourself, don't you, Severus?"

"Erik, would you please stop rambling! This is board business, after all!" Abraxas said with exasperation.

"No, Abraxus, this is not," Erik said firmly. "And considering that even Norman thought your accusations towards Severus for 'singling your boys out for undue punishments' were going way over the top, you're going to have to face the fact that this matter is Severus' to deal with. The board has better things to do than to get involved in routine disciplinary actions. If anything, I'd say that Severus has been overly cautious in dealing with those boys because you are a board member, considering what his normal methods have been in the past. Those boys of yours are brats, Abraxus, and Don especially is a holy terror. It's time you stopped believing every word they told you and start listening to what we've been trying to tell you before it's too late. Severus, do whatever it is you have to on the matter. You have the board's full support, minus only one member. As far as I'm concerned, other than perhaps getting an update on the Owl's projects of the pen pals and the fountain, I'm not interested in any board matters at all this evening."

"You'll find the Owl Chairman and Vice Chairman over by the punch bowl selling Frog Spawn Soap, Trick Wands, and Hiccough Sweets, Erik," Severus said in an even tone, ignoring Abraxus who was fuming right beside them.

"What? No Dungbombs?" Erik asked.

"No, I believe Mr. Carnegie put his foot down on that one," Severus said, "and the Vice Chair isn't likely to push her luck with him in the near future."

"Oh yes, brilliant punishment, that," Erik said with an appreciative nod. "In fact, I can think of a couple more good candidates for that sort of lesson, can't you?" he added before quickly getting out of the way of the line of fire, while Abraxus held his ground.

"Severus, I am only going to say this once," Abraxus said firmly, drawing himself up to try and look taller than he was. "If you don't put my Michael back in Slytherin where he belongs, I have every intention of removing both my children and my financial support from this school immediately."

"Remove them from Hogwarts, Abraxus, and you will ruin your sons' best shot at surviving to adulthood and becoming something other than menaces to society," Severus said evenly back.

"My sons don't need 'saved' by anyone, Severus, and they certainly don't need to be 'saved' by your bullying and brutishness. Such methods went out with the Middle Ages," he said, not backing down. Severus gazed at him fixedly.

"And just which methods have they been convincing you I employ on them, Abraxus, flogging, the rack, or an iron maiden? Not that I suppose it really matters, considering you would probably believe any one of them. Curious, though… he doesn't look all that mangled to me," Severus mused, watching as Mike made his way over to them while Winnie, who he had been talking to, stayed a few steps behind.

"Father!" Michael said, giving him a hug. "Can I have some money for the joke table?" he asked, and then noticed the Headmaster squinting at him. "It's for a good cause, after all."

"Of course, of course! But where are your brother and sister? I can't give you coin and not them, I'd never hear the end of it," Abraxus chuckled.

"Oh, uh… they're probably over there, somewhere, with the other Slytherin. I've rather been too busy getting to know everyone in my new house to really talk with them much. Besides, I get the feeling it wouldn't be wanted, what considering how the rest of the house has been treating me since I moved out and all," Mike said.

"Well now, don't worry about it, Mike. I am having a conversation with the Headmaster at this very minute about this whole unpleasant affair. I am certain that we will soon come to an understanding and you will be moved back to your old house in no time," Abraxas reassured him. Severus raised a brow at that, wondering if flogging the parent might have been a better idea.

"Move back?" Mike repeated, interrupting Severus' chain of thought as the boy looked at him worriedly and then back at his father. "But I don't want to move back!" Abraxas blinked at him in surprise, while Severus gazed at him thoughtfully. "You wouldn't really let him do that, would you?"

"But Michael! Coventrys have always been Slytherin!" Abraxus said in surprise. "Don't you want to be with your brother and sister?"

"I'm with them all the time anyway, really, not to mention I still have to go home with them. But nobody would talk to me in Slytherin, Father. Nobody but Don and Beth, of course, and… well, they listen to me in Hufflepuff. They ask me things, and they listen when I answer. Even Ambrose listens to me sometimes, even after how we treated the little prick," Mike explained.

"Mr. Coventry, please," Severus sighed.

"Sorry, Professor, habit," Mike said sincerely. "But I do want to stay in Hufflepuff, if that's all right. They seem to like me there. They even want me for the football team, and I almost feel like my own person for a change. They never treated me like anything except a shadow in Slytherin."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Coventry," Severus said to Michael when Abraxus was too busy staring at his son to answer. "My mind is quite made up on the matter. You are staying in Hufflepuff no matter how much you beg to go back to Slytherin, and that is final. You may as well just start getting used to the idea that you're a Hufflepuff now, so why don't you run along with your housemates and stop bringing it up?"

"Yes, Professor," Mike said with a grin. He began to turn around, but then paused. "You know, Professor, maybe Don was wrong about you."

"Perish the thought," Severus said dryly. Mike grinned at him again before hurrying back over to where Winnie and Veronica were waiting. "Pardon me for getting distracted, Abraxus. You were saying?"

"I was just wondering where Elizabeth and Don were, actually," Abraxus said, looking around with a troubled expression on his face.

"I believe Elizabeth is over there near the Owl Booth and I saw Don earlier while he was attempting to talk Helena into buying him some trick wands. He's probably over there in the other corner," Severus said.

"Ah yes, there they are," Abraxus said, quickly making his escape as Aurelius stepped over, watching him go.

"Do you think it'll change anything for Mike at home?" Aurelius asked quietly.

"Doubtful," Severus murmured back. "This whole situation didn't start at the school, after all; it was going on long before they got Sorted," he said, shaking his head and then finally looking around. "Where is your mother?"

"I haven't seen her," Aurelius admitted.

"Odd, I'd have thought she'd be here by now, although she did say she wanted to check some things first," Severus said, getting out his watch and then stared at it in disbelief. "Apparently, for God only knows what reason, she went to Hogsmeade."

"I'll go," Aurelius sighed, and Severus paused as if to think about it when he thought he felt a tremor beneath his feet. "What was that?" he asked uncertainly.

Severus glanced at his watch to see that it had swung to "Mortal Peril."

"Go. Go, hurry, and take the staff room out!" Severus said, nearly pushing him out the door before he turned back around. But the majority of students and guests hadn't realized anything had happened at all, and the only thing that had changed was the growing lines of worry that had appeared on the Headmaster's brow.

* * *

Wingard Foncé slipped out of the Divine Vision and into the streets of Hogsmeade, carrying in his gloved hand a pair of books carefully wrapped in brown paper to prevent overcurious eyes. It was much earlier than he cared to be out, but he had much to do before the clan meeting began at midnight. Most of the wizards and witches picked up the pace when he neared, although a few simply stopped dead in their tracks and watched him warily as he passed by, staring coolly at him when he gave each one who did so a cordial, unconcerned nod in return.

It was early enough that many of the shops were still open, the windows filled with jack-o-lanterns and other decorations. Only the art studio was shut up tightly for the night. It had a handwritten sign in the window, handwriting that he recognized at once, which read: Open at Eight all but Sundays, Closed Promptly at Sunset.

Still the coward, Foncé thought to himself with a sneer, and perhaps more of one now that he had a life to lose. He glanced thoughtfully at the books in his hand… one he had ordered for himself on new hypnotism techniques. The other had been a volume on divination rituals he had picked out for a morsel he had planned to tempt to accompany him that night. Of course there might be time to pick out someone else, he mused. There were more daring offerings nearby that would certainly get him into the Revenant's inner circle. He mulled over his possibilities toyingly, walking around the corner near the studio and weighing the risks and reluctantly began discounting his choices. The wizards were still too suspicious of him, Foncé knew, and they had been watching him quite closely in hopes that he would make a mistake. Too soon, he decided, reluctantly watching a lone figure pass him unmolested. Besides, it wasn't as if he were coming empty handed in any case.

He had just turned down the side street that ran beside the studio when he suddenly noticed something at the back of the building that made him stare in complete disbelief, repulsion, and horror; for under one of the windows was a large bed of coral bells, the flowers blossoming as if it were the height of spring. He tried to discount them, shuddering with revulsion at the sight of them, but then made the mistake of glancing up at the distasteful eyelet curtains past the barred window directly above the flowerbed. Stuffing his books in his overcoat, Foncé found himself unable to stop himself from walking straight over to the gabled door and knocking on it.

Alicia, who had been expecting it to be one of her nieces trying to get them to hurry along for the small party they were throwing, popped open the door and blinked in surprise. Her expression then turned dark and unreadable.

"Well, if it isn't my bit of unfinished business," Foncé said with a thin smile, Alicia's expression unchanging. "I would like a word with Pyther. Might I come in?"

"No," Alicia said evenly. "And I suggest you leave now, while you still can."

"Who is it, Alicia?" Francis said, walking up behind her. Immediately he paled and tried to move her out of the doorway. "Quick, shut the door!"

"He can't step over the threshold, Francis," Alicia said calmly, her eyes still fixed on the vampire.

"I see regaining mortality hasn't improved your nerve," Foncé sneered.

"Actually, it has, in ways you couldn't ever possibly understand," Francis said, despite still trying to pull Alicia back from the door. "Now, get out of here before I call the Enforcers."

"For what? Knocking on a door?" Foncé asked with amusement. "Paying my respects? You see, my presence here is mere happenstance. As I passed, I noticed that you have an unusually healthy patch of coral bells along the back of your house. You have a young child here."

"It was hardly a hidden fact, Foncé. There were announcements in _the Prophet_, if you cared to read it," Alicia sighed at him.

"Read that politically tainted dribble? Everyone knows that Editor Weasley is under the thumb of the Ministry and the school," Foncé said with distaste. "In any case, I am simply here to remind you of something, ex-brethren. Your 'miraculous' return to life has done nothing but made it easier for the Reverent to have you killed, now that the clan laws no longer protect you. But that doesn't mean that decisions made before that point aren't binding… that means, of course, that regardless of which territory I claim as my own, let alone chose to work out of, this morsel beside you is my property. That also includes anything she happens to spawn, by the way."

"You are not dragging our children into this, Foncé," Alicia said firmly.

"Yes, I quite agree," Francis said, finally managing to shrug ahead of Alicia, who didn't appear to be backing down for an instant. "After centuries in the clan, I understand as well as you do what the bylaws are, and I understand why the clan has a lot of reasons to want me dead. But you will leave my family out of this."

"Is that an admission of guilt?" Foncé asked thoughtfully. "Because if it is, I'm sure if you accompany me to the gathering tonight to face whatever punishment Rafe might have planned that I'm quite certain I can make a case for leaving the rest of your family alone. And, of course, since this is on the border of my territories, it isn't likely your family would be bothered by anyone else, you know."

"Francis isn't going anywhere," Alicia said firmly.

"I'm not so foolish to believe you would hold up that end of the bargain, Wingard, and even if you would, my place is here," Francis said, inspiring a chuckle from Foncé.

"Still the coward, you haven't changed at all," Foncé said. "Although, I do think it is in your family's best interests to cooperate. Personally, I myself have moved on to different ventures and would like to end this dispute. I would hate to have to find some other means of compensation to even up this debt you have with me."

"What sort of compensation?" Alicia asked guardedly.

_"Expelliarmus!"_

A blast hit Foncé from the side, forcing him backward and making his arm fly out of his cloak, revealing he had had his hand on his wand the entire time. He turned and hissed at his assailant, his red eyes flashing dangerously in the dark as he spied the head of a furious auburn-haired woman. Jennifer tossed her Night Shroud off, keeping her wand on him.

"It's not Pyther that Foncé wants, it's the baby!" Jennifer shouted. "Get them out of here, Alicia!" Immediately Alicia pulled Francis back in and slammed the door, and Jennifer turned her entire attention on the vampire.

"How dare you attack me? And with such accusations! I should have you arrested!" he snarled.

"You won't find much sympathy from the Ministry on this one! I suggest you leave while you still can, Foncé," Jennifer said firmly.

"Or what?" Foncé asked, sounding completely unconcerned.

"Well, this, for starters… _lumos solem!" _

As bright light streamed out of the wand, an oozing darkness began to spread out from Foncé's own wand. Slowly it filled the space in between them, so thick that no light could pass through it. It was then that Jennifer realized that her own light magic wasn't likely to be strong enough to cut through Foncé's skill with dark magic, leaving her no other choice to change her tactics and switch spells, the night pierced with the cry of the Shrieking Death. But strangely enough, the spell seemed to dissipate around him after casting only the simplest of sonic barriers, despite the fact she had cast it with all the power she could muster, leaving her own ears ringing in its wake.

"Impressive on mortals, perhaps, but any fool knows that death spells can't work on someone who is already dead," Foncé sneered. "It is a lost cause. No light magic you have is strong enough to harm me, and there is no darkness you can summon that can possibly match my own powers."

"We'll see about that," Jennifer said, pointing at the darkness spell around him. _"Reflect!" _she shouted, the wall of darkness turning into a strange mirror between them. Foncé snarled in anger, expecting no image at all, but found himself slightly surprised when the image of his witch assailant appeared in the reflection, pointing at a finger at him. "You will go back to you own kind, and never trespass on my family again!"

"Your family?" Foncé murmured, fighting off the strong suggestion spell she had placed on the mirror and strengthened his defensive stance. "I know you, you're the recreant's wife!" he said. The reflection shattered, and the darkness dissipated between them.

"I am the Headmaster's wife, yes, but a Craw first and foremost. If you go after one of us, you'll have the rest of us to contend with!" Jennifer shouted at him.

"Yes, and if you continue to harass me, you'll have my family to contend with," Foncé said. "Are you truly foolish enough to try and go to war with Sunset Dawn?"

"I've faced worse than a pack of vampires over the years," Jennifer said with a snort.

"Spoken like someone who never has, but never fear, my dear," Foncé said in a tone that made Jennifer's hair prickle. "I'll be more than happy to educate you."

"Come anywhere near me, and I'll kill you," Jennifer swore.

"Too late for that," Foncé sneered. "Much, much too late."

Immediately, Foncé began to change forms and pounced. Jennifer gasped in surprise and dodged to the side as a huge black wolf came at her with claws and fangs bared. She felt something around her feet that at first felt like snakes and leapt back, until she noticed that tree roots had pushed up from the cobblestone and were attempting to entangle her feet. It was as she paused to quickly dispel the entanglement curse that she realized that he was somehow managing to still cast spells while in his wolf form, the snarls and barks he was making acting as some sort of verbal commands. Without being able to understand his words or watch his hand and body movements to cue her in what he was casting, she realized she was at an extreme disadvantage. Even as she threw the Living Stone curse at its head, she knew it wouldn't reach him, for he easily blocked it and came charging at her again.

"_Aetherfax!"_ Jennifer cast in a panic, diving to one side in a roll as the wolf ended up leaping over her, unable to stop his momentum. But she had been counting on that when she had calculated her spell, which forced a small meteorite down through the atmosphere, the explosion rocking the town as it impacted in the middle of the street. Debris went flying everywhere as Jennifer scrambled to her feet, coughing in the tense silence that followed. Cautiously, she worked her way through the dense smoke to see if she had hit her mark.

A growl of anger coming from behind her warned her to get down, and she swiftly rolled onto her back just in time to see the debris picking itself up and heading right towards her, several pieces hitting her before she finally got up a shield spell that forced the debris to bounce off and back in the other direction. Before she could retaliate further, a blinding light began flashing in her eyes, so painfully bright that even with her eyelids closed tight she saw it, and she was forced to cover them with an arm.

"Surrender your weapons," Aurelius said, Jennifer recognizing the voice long before she regained her eyesight. Sighing in resignation, Jennifer flipped over her wand and felt it taken from her. She slowly managed to get back to her feet, rubbing her eyes to try to clear them. "That includes you, Lord Foncé. I'm an Auror, you'll find I have the authority."

"In that case, I would like this woman arrested at once for attacking me," Foncé said, still attempting to recover his own vision and having a much harder time in doing so. Jennifer, on the other hand, was beginning to see clearly again except for a few lingering spots, and was well aware of a crowd of people coming from all directions to see what was going on.

"I imagine that the Ministry will want to see both of you, considering half the street is gone," Aurelius said calmly.

"Yes, and I would like a word on that subject as well, if you don't mind!" Rosmerta said hotly, Jennifer looking guiltily over at the irate woman.

"All right, all right, everyone calm down, the Enforcers are here," said a familiar voice. Jennifer squinted until she recognized it to be her father's assistant minister and rolled her eyes. Adler Bosworth stopped short when he saw Jennifer, giving her the same reaction. It was immediately evident that they were all in for a long night.

* * *

Jennifer was talking quietly with Francis and her guard as they walked into the Minister's office, receiving a vicious gaze from Foncé, who had just gotten settled on the other side of the room. His eyes then became fixed at the large clock on the wall, staring at the time irritably.

"I trust this won't take long?" Foncé asked when Adler came in a moment later with a paper in his hand.

"If I went solely by wand reports, I'd say unlikely," Adler said, glancing over the report on Foncé's wand first. "Most of these spells seem defensive in nature, Foncé, although I must note that you cast Choking Darkness…"

"That was defensive as well. She cast sunlight at me," he said, glaring at her, while Jennifer remained expressionless.

"And what of this projectile spell?" Adler inquired.

"Simply attempting to keep debris off of me after she called that meteor down. And isn't that sort of spell illegal here? I know it is in my country," Foncé said.

"Yes, I'm getting to that," Adler said calmly, switching reports and gazing at Jennifer with a frown.

"Comet Strike is only illegal in sight of unknowing Muggles, which there weren't any, or if anyone is directly harmed by it. There was only some property damage, which I already agreed to compensate," Jennifer said evenly.

"Mrs. Snape, you know perfectly well that the only reason that meteor spell is legal at all is because it's an antiquated law. That spell was originally intended for the war effort… and then promptly used against us, as you well know," Adler frowned.

"Then the law should be updated, for something like that should be illegal," Foncé suggested.

"I quite agree, but that is for the politicians to work out. However, Mrs. Snape, I have a feeling you are not aware that there is a town ordinance in Hogsmeade against that spell, and you will therefore have to still deal with some penalties," Adler said. Jennifer sighed and nodded. "Of course that's petty, all things considering, for I would also like for you to account for the other spells you cast during the course of this little street skirmish of yours, including a death spell, an illegal version of the stone spell, and a suggestion spell, each one of which by itself could have you incarcerated."

"But that's ridiculous! She was only trying to protect us from him!" Francis snapped. "He came to our house and was threatening me to come with him or else."

"We were simply chatting," Foncé said evenly.

"Nonsense, you had a hand on your wand. We wouldn't have even known we were in immediate danger had Jennifer not come up and disarmed him. Even if he couldn't get in, he could have cast a spell through the doorway."

"He is letting his imagination get ahead of him, Mr. Bosworth. He has always been nervous, even when he was dead," Foncé shrugged.

Just then, the door slammed open and Thomas Craw strode in, dressed in black from head to toe, followed by Aurelius and Severus. Severus sighed with exasperation when he saw Jennifer's guilty expression.

"Sorry I was delayed," Thomas grunted, as Adler quickly got out of Thomas' seat and moved to the side. "Harry forgot to disarm all of his security when Maurice and I broke into his house tonight."

"Broke in, sir?" Adler said in shock. "I thought you told me you were helping your son with a school project?"

"Well, I was," Thomas said casually. "Maurice bragged to several of his mates that he had planned to hit Harry's house for Halloween and they had the gall not to believe him. Now they'll have the pleasure of going back to school and have nobody believing _them_ when they start trying to tell everyone what sort of things Maurice 'single handedly' got away with. Oh, don't get like that, Bosworth, I had Harry's permission to break in. Didn't tell him about the dungbomb, though."

"I don't know where Jennifer gets her recklessness from," Severus said dryly.

"Just making up for the fact I had no input at all on her own schooling," Thomas retorted, glancing at the wand reports. "What are the charges?"

"Attempted murder, attempted coercion, and destruction of public property by means of a restricted spell," Adler said.

"Rel, get Draco in here," Thomas said curtly, Aurelius immediately leaving. "What about on him?"

"None as yet, sir," Adler said, Thomas looking at him questioningly before glancing at the wand report. "Do you really think we ought to bother the Minister with this?"

"I wouldn't want to be accused of conflict of interest," Thomas said in a tone so dry there was little doubt he didn't care one wit about what people accused him of. "There is a foreigner of title involved, Adler. It's standard procedure, even if it he wasn't a bloodsucker that some interest group or another might want to protest on if we don't 'treat it fairly' or other such nonsense," he went on, Foncé's eyes flashing in response. Thomas didn't even bother to look on him as he glanced at his wand report and set it aside. "Also a wand report isn't always revealing when dealing with a vampire of this caliber, Adler. I can assure you from the amount of embroidery this one is sporting that he has means other than conventional magic. What did he do, Jen-girl?"

"He was threatening Alicia and Pyther," Jennifer said firmly. "And since they wouldn't let him in, he was going to try using his wand to smoke them out and take the baby as an offering to his clan, knowing it'd be a sure way to get into the council." Thomas squinted darkly. "Yes, I know, I can hardly testify that information, but I did see it in his face."

"Ridiculous! Such speculation! Even Pyther can attest that I said nothing of the sort," Foncé snorted.

"He did threaten us," Francis said immediately. "He reminded me that under clan rules that Alicia was still technically his property and therefore so was Michael, and unless I went with him to face the clan he would take other recourse."

"I never said once that I was going to take the baby," Foncé protested again. "And no matter the tone of the conversation between Francis and myself, it was still a conversation. This woman then blind-sided me."

"Yes, to disarm him. He was holding a concealed wand," Jennifer snapped.

"I was in the doorway chatting with someone I knew wouldn't be hospitable, I was simply being cautious," Foncé said smoothly. "And that is hardly grounds for trying to blow my ears out or making a crater in the middle of Hogsmeade."

"I am sorry about the street," Jennifer put in. "But I am even sorrier that I missed," she added vehemently.

"And they call us bloodthirsty," Foncé tsked. Thomas looked Foncé dead in the eye and was about ready to say something when the door opened and Draco strode in wearing formal robes with Aurelius right behind him.

"So this is how you get out of my social events," Draco said as he walked over to the desk.

"I was called in for this just as you were, Draco," Thomas said calmly as Draco glanced over the papers on the desk and picked up Jennifer's. "I take it Aurelius has been filling you in?"

"Yes, and on his own observations as well," Draco said briskly, glancing at the report only briefly before putting it back down again. "This is her normal spell list for practically any encounter of any significance. Must you insist on using that meteor spell, Professor?" Draco snapped. "I was hardly in a position to do anything about it the first time I saw you use it, but I can hardly ignore it now."

"I've already agreed to pay fines and damages to Hogsmeade, Draco," Jennifer assured him.

"Well, expect there to be more action against that spell in council in the near future," Draco said. "Furthermore, I am quite tired of the rampant vigilantism going on under my nose, and that is going to stop now. You are to inform the Ministry immediately upon learning of anything even remotely resembling an emergency and letting us handle it, Professor."

"There wasn't time," Jennifer said quietly.

"I don't care if you think the world is going to end in ten seconds! If it's going to affect any of my constituents, I want notice! Is that clear, Professor?" Draco said. Jennifer glanced at him only briefly before nodding silently. "Fine. Thomas, I want you to charge her with vigilantism and a recommendation of a wavered jail time in favor of a year's probation. But if she puts a toe out of that castle for anything other than a daytrip without informing an officer or Auror, she is going to have to deal with the consequences."

"Yep," Thomas agreed, getting a form out of his desk.

"What? Is that it?" Foncé hissed. "She tries to kill me, and all she gets is probation?"

"First off, she can't kill someone who is by definition already dead," Draco said curtly. "Secondly, it's obvious to anyone who knows her that she was simply behaving like an Auror or Enforcer in the absence of one. The only difference would be that the Auror closest at hand at the time would have had the sense to let you actually make a move before closing in, since we both know that even with a licensed Truth Seeker testifying you were contemplating a crime doesn't prove you would actually carry it out. The fact that we know you would have probably done it in this case is, unfortunately, inconsequential. But I do think at least a fine for having a wizard duel in a populated area should be placed on both of you, and also I want all the Snape family members not flagged to be added to the tracking system, including the Clemmonses, Pythers and Willowbys, and have it charmed so that if any of them or Foncé get within wand range of each other that an alarm goes up. I want someone there no matter how 'accidental' the meeting supposedly is."

"I'll make sure that gets done tonight," Thomas agreed.

"Good, then let's call the matter closed so we can get back to whatever it was we were supposed to be doing," Draco said. "I'm sure we all have better things to do."

"As a matter of fact, I myself am running late, as ridiculous as this whole evening has been," Foncé said. "I will be having words with both the French Ambassador and the Sentient Council about this!"

"Be my guest," Draco said unconcernedly. "Aurelius, show the gentleman out, he is running late, after all, and don't forget to retrieve his wand from the lab."

"Right this way, Lord Foncé. Apparently I don't count as family," Aurelius said dryly, opening the door.

"Not when you're on duty, you're not," Draco said curtly. He then waited until they were well down the hall until he glanced around again, making eye contact with Thomas, who simply looked thoughtful, and Severus, who simply had his jaw clamped and a stony expression on his face as if silently refusing to get involved. Finally he turned to look at Jennifer. "By the way, if you do decide Foncé is worth going to jail over, at least have the decency to kill him next time," Draco said evenly before walking out the door. It silently shut on its own behind him.

"Minister, is there something you haven't told me about Foncé?" Adler asked in annoyance when he finally got over Draco's reaction to the situation. "I knew he was a vampire, of course, and heard all the popular rumors about exactly how he manages to get human blood for his private label, but on the books he has an impeccably clean record."

"Exactly," Thomas said curtly. "Bosworth, never ever trust a successful businessman with 'an impeccably clean record.' Even under normal circumstances, one is going to stub toes on the way to the top, or at least have a dozen lawsuits or more on the books. In such a case, a clean record is nothing more than an indicator that things aren't right. No one knows that better than Draco Malfoy. And that said, he has a point. Just why didn't you kill him again?" Thomas asked, looking blankly at his daughter and ignoring the stare he got from his assistant for saying it.

"I tried, but he changed into wolf form on me and got me on the defensive," Jennifer said in annoyance. "He was too strong in dark magic for my light spells to cut through it, so I had no choice to rely on my dark as well, even knowing that he'd be able to combat the majority of them. I really had hoped that Comet Strike would have landed correctly, but I was worried about taking out any surrounding buildings. I'll admit that I can think of several other spells that might have worked better now, but at the time it was rather hard trying to think of anything, knowing that half the spells I normally cast weren't the sort that would work on a vampire."

"I can think of one quite readily that would decimate any vampire, considering the way they animate themselves," Adler said. "Why didn't you just cast Blood to Mud on him? Considering your strength in dark magic, I'd say you'd be able to take out any level of vampire."

Suddenly everyone reacted at once, from Pyther who found his wand stolen out of his coat, to Thomas, who made an impressive leap across his desk for a man his age, to Severus who was quickly trying to get an arm around Jennifer as she furiously charged forward with full intentions of wiping Adler off the planet. Fortunately, Thomas was a shade quicker than she was, blocking her path and holding her back before Adler even had time to scramble to his feet and wonder about the murderous gleam burning in her eyes.

"Torch it, Jen-girl! Torch it!" Thomas snapped at her, refusing to get out of her way, while Severus somehow managed to get a hand around the wand she was holding. "Don't let him take another victim!" Jennifer stared furiously at her father, but his gaze was firm and unbending, harsh and without any sympathy for her sudden temper. Her own expression towards her father was accusing and filled with anger, when after a few seconds she realized it wasn't angry at Adler so much as the two men standing around her and holding her back at that moment. Taking a few deep breaths to try and control her temper, she relaxed her grip on the wand and immediately felt it pulled out of her hand. "That spell will never be cast again by a member of this family, Bosworth. Craw or Snape," Thomas said quietly, watching as his daughter's deflated anger began to turn into depression. "A spell can sometimes be too effective. The Unforgivable Death Curse is further proof of that. Severus, you'd better get her home. I can take Pyther back… I'd feel better taking a look at the security on their studio tonight anyhow."

"Anything in particular you want me to do, sir?" Adler asked, still a bit unsure of exactly what it was that had just happened.

"Yes. You stay and get the tracker up to date," Thomas snapped. "Then I want you in my office first thing in the morning."

"Yes, sir," Adler said reluctantly, realizing he wasn't about to get any sleep that night.

* * *

Severus walked Jennifer silently to the lab to pick up her wand and back to reception, keying them from there to the Headmaster's Study before finally looking at her questioningly. But Jennifer seemed more interested in getting into their rooms to take the uncomfortable dress off rather than talking.

"Anything to report during my absence, Armando?" Severus asked, glancing briefly at the notes on his desk.

"Not really, it's been a quiet Halloween," the painting said with a yawn. Severus gave him a dirty look. "Everyone is back in their rooms and accounted for, but if you like, I can rouse Professor Weasley for you."

"No, I'll update her in the morning," Severus said. He walked in the back and through to her sitting room to find that she had already changed and was quickly trying to organize her classes for the next day. Severus leaned on the door and watched her for a moment, but it was perfectly obvious that she was intentionally ignoring him. "You know, Jennifer, when you said you might not just show up at all, I really hadn't taken it seriously."

"Oh, please, Severus, if you're going to yell at me, can't it wait until tomorrow? I'm quite done up for one night," Jennifer said, quickly getting up and trying to get around him.

"I've but one question, Jennifer," Severus said, Jennifer sighing and glancing at the other exit speculatively. "Did you or did you not promise me that if what you saw happen in the Obol compelled you to act upon it that you would inform me of what was going on?"

"What makes you so certain that is what happened?" Jennifer parried.

"What other explanation could there be?" Severus asked evenly.

"I could have looked at my watch," Jennifer ventured.

"Perhaps, but you didn't. And you don't have your charm bracelet on, so don't try that one either," Severus said, noticing Jennifer glance down at her wrist. "I thought we agreed to keep this experiment entirely professional."

"As this conversation should be, considering you are accusing me of misusing a school artifact. Care to see my lab results? We can take it to your study if you like," Jennifer said, her tone quite strange.

"I'd rather not get into a professional discussion at all tonight, if you don't mind. I am in no more mood to get into that part of this than you are," Severus said. "At the same time, I can't be but a bit sympathetic of Draco's view of this situation… not that I would have expected you to have gone to the Ministry with it, considering there was no way you could have without revealing too much about how you knew something might happen. But I would have hoped you would have come to me. Or is it that you feel you can't come to me?" he added quietly. Jennifer's head snapped up, staring at him.

"Exactly what are you implying, Severus?" she asked defensively.

"I wasn't implying anything. I was simply asking," Severus said, gazing at her steadily.

"I shouldn't always _have_ to come to you! I admit that I probably should have sent a note or something about leaving the premises as far as my job is concerned. But I would like to think that I do have the right to make my own decisions, and I am quite tired of always having to check in like some teenager when I know damn well what I'm doing and what the consequences are and it would just be nice if you would just trust me for a change! I have done nothing but what I've felt I had to do, and what I've felt is right, Severus!" Jennifer said angrily. But Severus was busy staring at her with a furrowed brow.

"I wondered when that word was going to pop out again," Severus said flatly.

"You are not even listening to me!" Jennifer accused him with exasperation.

"Yes I am, Jennifer, and I have been, only I wonder now if you have been listening to yourself. Do you realize, for example, that you have mentioned the word 'trust' in every meaningful conversation we've had since before the school year began?" Severus asked.

"Severus, please don't exaggerate," Jennifer sighed, but Severus continued to gaze at her steadily. "But if I have, it's simply out of frustration. Is it truly so hard for you to trust me Severus?"

"No," Severus said softly, "it is only that I don't think that is what this is about, not as much as it is your lack of trust in me." Jennifer stared at him agape for a moment.

"How dare you even suggest such a thing! After everything we've been through, after all I've done for you? How could you, when I've done nothing but supported your right to make your own decisions no matter how poor they were, and I have done nothing but stood by your side whenever you wanted me there! You have no right to question my trust in you, Severus! Absolutely none at all," Jennifer said fervently before hurrying out the door before any tears began to fall, quickly making her way down to her office for the evening. Left in her wake, Severus simply closed his eyes, hoping to think up a solution to the problem but was unsurprised when none came to mind.


	20. The Face of Fear

Chapter Twenty

The Face of Fear

Severus woke up early, instantly aware of the fact that the windows were still closed. Frowning as he remembered what had happened the night before, he got up and tossed on a robe. It was then that he noticed a new writing desk in his sitting room that he hadn't ever seen before. Pondering its presence, he strode into the study and stopped short when we saw the candy parcels lined up on the edge of his desk, finally remembering what day it was. Well, at least none of the children seemed to be angry with him this year, he mused, looking over the boxes of licorice cauldrons. In fact, it seemed that he had one more box than usual. He popped open one to fill the candy dish with and then checked the other tags until he found the one with Ambrose's name on it. Smirking softly, he finally sat down at his desk, reluctantly pulling a stack of papers over in front of him.

A chilly sensation flashed through the chain around his neck, and despite the early hour he felt a faint breeze and heard the rustle of a curtain behind him. A few minutes later, Jennifer reemerged with a tray of coffee and toast.

"I thought this might be a bit better on your stomach than licorice first thing in the morning," Jennifer said, putting it down.

"More than likely," Severus agreed. "Thank you."

"Do you like your writing desk? I decided to go with practical this year," she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"I did need a new one," Severus admitted, wishing now that he had taken more time to look at it.

"And I see you have extra this year," Jennifer added, pouring them each a cup.

"Apparently Ambrose decided he was better off not attempting to make me a gift for a change," Severus mused.

"Well, knowing Ambrose, he probably just didn't want to feel left out," Jennifer ventured. She then grew quiet for a moment before finally sighing. "Severus, I really am sorry for what happened last night."

"I don't see how you have much to be sorry about," Severus said evenly.

"You're right that I should have told you what was going on before I took off, or at least left a note," Jennifer said.

"Perhaps you should have in an official capacity, considering you were supposed to be on security," Severus said quietly. "But you were correct in that I have no more right to dictate your decisions than that silly Obol does."

"It doesn't dictate my decisions, Severus, I do," Jennifer said firmly. "But you know perfectly well that I'm not going to sit back and watch someone in my family get hurt when I can do something about it."

"Jennifer, you can't know for absolute certain that anyone would have gotten hurt. The future isn't set in stone; the Obol only shows a possibility of the future. Surely your own research is beginning to show that," Severus sighed.

"Well, yes and no, really. I haven't technically gathered enough data to come to any conclusions yet," Jennifer said, well aware that Severus was openly staring at her. "That is, if you're going to let me finish it," she added carefully.

"As Headmaster, I really shouldn't let you," Severus said flatly. "Between shirking your responsibilities to the school over this, and the irrational behavior that landed you countless fines and probation, I have more than enough grounds to halt this experiment of yours."

"Most of that happened off property, though," Jennifer pointed out, Severus' expression immediately turning dubious. "Really, as far as work is concerned, all I did was fail to inform someone that I had to leave the castle for a family emergency. Nothing else I did was school related."

"There is a morality clause in your contract, or have you conveniently forgotten that?" Severus said drolly.

"There's nothing immoral about helping my family… unless you are implying that hunting a vampire is immoral?"

"In lieu of certain past events concerning our son-in-law, I'd say that is highly a matter of opinion," Severus said warningly.

"And your opinion is?" Jennifer challenged him.

"There is also the matter that you are on probation," Severus went on, having no intention of taking the bait.

"Only probation. You know, I've been in jail at least twice before on unrelated school matters, and yet I'm still here…"

"Under Dumbledore, yes…"

"Oh, I see. So you're saying you would have sacked me?" Jennifer inquired.

"Not necessarily, but he hardly had the same complications as a Headmaster, considering that we're married," Severus said.

"Are you saying our marriage is a complication?" Jennifer asked.

"I only meant that he never had to be concerned about the board accusing him of favoritism because he's married to you."

"What? I wouldn't marry a man like Dumbledore," Jennifer said, Severus rolling his eyes and shaking his head at her. "He's just too… too… good," she said with a scrunched nose.

"You know perfectly well what I meant, and stop twisting my words around. I'm only pointing out that being on probation can be construed as failure to adhere to your contract…"

"And just how many times have you been put in jail since you were a Professor, Severus?" Jennifer asked him.

"Don't you dare even think of going there, considering…"

Just then there was a knock on the door. Severus glared at it in annoyance, attempting to ignore the smug look on his wife's face as he pulled the side drawer open to look inside before opening the door with a wave of the hand.

"Good morning," Hermione said as she came in with a stack of papers, glancing between Jennifer's gloat and Severus' wary gaze. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"Not really, we were having a professional discussion," Severus said irritably.

"Were we?" Jennifer asked coquettishly. "Are you so sure of that?" Severus stared at her but didn't seem inclined to answer, while Hermione looked between them once more and let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Well, I don't know what's going on, but when you two can't tell the difference between them, there's trouble," Hermione said. "I suppose this has something to do with whatever it was that sent you to the Ministry last night? Joanie just 'popped in for breakfast' an hour ago saying something about a crater in the middle of Hogsmeade and 'casually' asked when Jennifer's first class was and if you typically arrived early to set up. I swear, she's so much like her father that sometimes I want to strangle her."

"I should probably go deal with that then," Jennifer sighed, getting up and glancing at Severus, who simply nodded to her. "So what's the verdict on the experiment? You never got around to telling me," she reminded him. Severus stared at her openly, but she simply tilted her head to look over her spectacles and flashed him an enigmatic smile.

"I want all your research notes on the project on my desk by dinner so I can see your progress," Severus said firmly, Jennifer's smile widening slightly. "Every scrap of it, I don't care _how _disorganized they are. And there had better be some decent progress on it or I will be taking the loan back, Professor Craw, and don't you dare let me catch you using that thing for anything other than research again."

"Yes, Professor," Jennifer said, her smile never leaving as she turned and walked out of the room. Hermione watched the exchange thoughtfully, waiting until the doors closed behind her before turning back to Severus.

"So she won again, I see," Hermione mused. Severus squinted at her in response.

"What do you mean, again?" Severus asked in annoyance.

"Well, ever since Albus first came to me with his proposal to make me the Deputy Headmaster and that he was hoping to be able to train you for his position, I've been watching you and Jennifer pretty carefully," Hermione admitted. "Some of it was for self preservation, since you both are rather opinionated people and I knew you butted heads on a regular basis when you both had your backs up on something… the last thing I wanted to do was get in the middle. Another part of it was in hopes of making myself a better assistant, whether it is by supporting a decision you've made or taking over the school for a bit or just making myself as scarce as possible so the two of you can sort things out. But one thing I've noticed over the years is that for the most part you both win about the same amount of arguments. Generally speaking, you seem to win the majority that have to do with school, and she wins the majority concerning family matters, and that's as it should be.

"But recently, that's not been the case. Ever since you got back, she's been winning the majority of everything, while you seem to be backpedaling. In fact, I seriously doubt that before this point would you have allowed Jennifer to get her hands on that coin under any circumstances, even under the pretense of research. You know even better than I do she wouldn't be able to resist using the thing, especially when she is worried about something. It was a disaster waiting to happen, and if I were you, I'd put that coin safely back where it belongs, because I'm sure you also know that even if she seems sincere about not misusing it right now, she's not going to be able to resist the temptation for long," she finished, while Severus stayed as expressionless as he had been when she began.

"I suppose you are right about one thing," Severus decided at last.

"And what's that?" Hermione asked, handing him the papers in her hand.

"You're not me," Severus said simply, and Hermione immediately took the hint and turned the conversation to school business.

* * *

It was only a week later that Hermione found herself in another awkward position where the Headmaster's personal life and professional life was likely to crash together in an unpleasant heap. This time, however, it had nothing to do with Jennifer at all, but over a lunch conference she had with Lucky. At first she was uncertain of how to proceed, even after a lengthy discussion with Boulderdash about the situation. But finally she decided to go ahead and do what she would have done with any other student and called Lucky back to her office. As she had suspected, the second conference Monday morning made the decision for her, and Hermione soon made her way upstairs.

"Good afternoon," Severus said when he glanced up from his book. "If you're here for lunch, I warn you I won't be much company. I'm making some last minute adjustments to my lesson plan today. Some things came up during my second year Ancient Artifacts course that I decided to go ahead and give a bit of preview on in first year."

"Actually, it's your first year class I came to speak to you about," Hermione admitted. "You're going to have one less student on the roster starting today."

"Oh, who dropped? Don't tell me. Reggie," Severus guessed. Hermione shook her head.

"No, nobody dropped. Someone tested out of the course, actually," she explained. Severus finally looked up with interest.

"Ambrose?" he asked.

"No, Lucky," Hermione said. Severus stared at her.

"I beg your pardon?"

"She passed it with a perfect score, actually," Hermione went on.

"Give me that! Where did you get this? Tangent?" Severus asked, taking the test to look at it.

"Yes, this was Zed's final from last year. I think you'll find it was quite thorough," Hermione said, despite the fact that it was obvious that Severus wasn't ready to admit anything of the sort as he combed through it line for line.

"There must be some mistake," Severus murmured.

"Did you want to make one following your own standards and have her take it again? You do technically have that right," Hermione said. Severus, who had been contemplating doing exactly that, gazed at her with complete annoyance as he realized just how petty that sounded.

"This first part of the test is multiple choice. She could have made some educated guesses," Severus said defensively.

"Nobody gets a perfect score with guesses," Hermione said as he flipped over the page.

"I can see her doing well on the deduction part of the test, it is in her nature, after all. But how in blazes could she have possibly gotten through some of these symbols? Not all of them are that obvious, and some of these memorization tables are much further in the course, let alone how to categorize them all properly."

"Well, more than likely, I'd say she must have gotten it out of books on the subject, wouldn't you?" Hermione said.

"Yes," Severus mused, putting the test down in front of him with a frown. "But not without help. I think I want a word or two with our dear librarian."

"Yes, I thought you might," Hermione admitted. "In fact, he may be on his way up. I mentioned I was coming up here to talk to you about Lucky, and he said he'd be up after his student aids arrived for lunch."

Severus glanced in the open drawer and gazed in only a second before he pulled out a knob. Hermione decided it was best not to comment as he waved the doors open in time to see the goblin looking down the spiral stair speculatively and wondering just when he climbed up them. He glanced up when the door opened and walked in, his beady eyes immediately intent on the Headmaster, but he was quite calm for a goblin and wearing a slightly amused-looking sneer.

"I see I am expected," Boulderdash said.

"What do you know about this business with Lucky attempting to test out of my class?" Severus demanded.

"Attempting?" Boulderdash repeated, glancing at Hermione. "As I understand it from Professor Weasley, she did rather well."

"Yes, what of that? I assume you had something to do with this," Severus said impatiently.

"Oh, not so much as you might think, Headmaster," Boulderdash said calmly. "I'll admit I might have directed to her to the right volumes to study and may have answered her questions now and then, and I'll even admit to talking her out of flunking the course to get out of your class, as was her original intention. But I won't take credit for the girl's hard work. She's been spending every spare moment on this goal of hers for weeks now and has earned every last feather for it. You must admit, Professor, that when that girl gets determined to do something there isn't much that can stop her."

"But why?" Severus said, baffled, looking between the other two, who shrugged in response. "What possibly could have motivated her to go to all of the trouble? I've hardly been unreasonable in any of my classes, nor has she ever given me a reason to be. Come to think of it, except for that one test that you both know of at the beginning of the term, she's been a model student, even with Reggie's constant distractions."

"That alone should have told you something was wrong," Hermione admitted. "I wouldn't say she's a bad student in class, far from it, but she does like to speak out of turn on occasion, especially if she thinks of something sarcastic to say that might get a laugh. And she is quick to turn around and shake her fist at any of the other students that provoke her. Sure, she will settle down when you insist, and she's always quiet during tests, but she is hardly a model student. To be honest, I think she's a bit intimidated by you."

"But I have never given her a reason!" Severus snapped. The two of them glanced at each other thoughtfully. "True, I've hardly pampered the girl, and that is hardly what she needs right now, but I've always been quite careful, thank you. It isn't as if I haven't dealt with students with similar problems before."

"Students, Severus, not daughters," Hermione interrupted. "You can put your best face on for your students, but one doesn't do that with family, do they? And you may be careful with handling her, but are you always careful about how you treat others when she is around? Knowing your nature, I doubt it, Severus. One can't be careful all the time, especially in light of last year… have you ever raised your voice or gotten in an argument with Jennifer when she was in the room?" she asked, Severus frowning deeply. "Have you ever done it when she could have been in hearing distance? Or do you even know?"

"Why is this all happening now?" Severus murmured distantly. "First Jennifer and now this…" he said, then paused when he noticed them exchanging glances again. "Never mind, the problem is obviously a personal one and not a professional one. I'm not going to force her to sit class with me when she obviously knows the material."

"She did have extra classes this year," Hermione put in with a nod. "Do you mind if I try to catch up with her before her next class and tell her how she did?"

"Fine, go ahead, and could you see if Danny is busy? If she is, let her know it can wait, considering it's hardly school business…" Severus murmured.

"Nonsense, Severus, of course it's school business, and Danny would want to know about it," Hermione said, getting up. "It's part of our job as advisors to make sure each student's needs are being met… even when it takes three advisors to do it," Hermione chuckled. "Whatever it takes to get a student through Hogwarts in one piece; whether it involves lots of behind doors chats, or doing without House Elves for a week, or splitting up siblings to give them a fair chance to learn who they are, or doing everything in one's power to save a student from a bad family background so they don't get caught in the same traps their parents did. You of all people know that. You did it for years. So we as your staff are not going to stop thinking about it as 'not being school business' just because it's your daughter, are we?" Hermione concluded. She apparently wasn't expecting an answer at all, for she turned and strode out of the room. Severus sighed softly, while Boulderdash watched her leave thoughtfully.

"Professor Weasley made some excellent points," Boulderdash mused. "Especially that bit at the end. Although, if I may, I rather have some advice on this subject of my own, being in many ways her primary advisor, as it were."

"Considering you helped her accomplish this feat, I rather think you agree with my decision to let it go," Severus said dryly.

"Yes, well, obviously, but you are right to wonder about her determination to do so," Boulderdash said, his black eyes serious. "Even though I believe that Hermione is right in saying that the situation has been aggravated by Lucky's observations of her current family dynamic… no family is perfect, after all," he said in a gentler tone when Severus began to brood. "She would have had trouble with you even in a perfect situation." Severus blinked and looked up.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, it isn't just about whether or not she believes you would harm her or not, Severus. It's about the fact that you can," Boulderdash said evenly. "And Lucky is not about to take any chances trusting anyone if she doesn't feel she has an advantage going in. It'd be like playing poker with a sickle when you're opponent has a zero level vault at Gringott's Bank. She doesn't like the odds, Severus."

"Even in your scenario, Boulderdash, Gringotts' Bank is not likely to reach out and steal a sickle," Severus said flatly. Boulderdash growled in amusement at that.

"Not that they haven't often been accused of it. Why would they ever have to steal, when so many invest willingly? But Lucky has been stolen from so many times that she expects nothing else, whether or not someone would actually do so is entirely beside the point. It wouldn't matter how many times Gringotts' reassured her they aren't an investment risk, she is not about to buy into it. There is nothing they can do about someone so determined not to trust them, no more than there is anything you can do to convince her that you would never harm her."

"There is that word again. How I am truly beginning to hate it," Severus said, and began pacing behind his desk. Boulderdash peered at him quizzically. "Trust, that is."

"Ah, well. It plagues everyone in some way," Boulderdash said with amusement. "Nasty concept, really, considering it's so high maintenance it's practically unaffordable." Severus stopped short.

"Must you use a money related metaphor for everything?" Severus asked flatly.

"Yes, well, I'm a goblin," Boulderdash sneered, pausing briefly when Danny quietly slipped in. "But as I was explaining a moment before, Professor, there really isn't much you can do about the fact that the girl doesn't trust you, or whether or not anyone at all trusts you or not, for that matter. Attempting to 'make' someone trust you is not only futile, but it is counterproductive, and to be perfectly honest it doesn't even matter. All that truly should matter is who it is that you choose to trust, and in this I think the wisest thing would be to trust Lucky enough to let the girl seek her own counsel and trust your staff enough to provide the support she needs to work through this. If you truly want to gain her trust, you are going to have to trust her first."

"He's right, Severus," Danny said, stepping further into the room. "Lucky's actions speak louder than words in this. She doesn't want to deal with a father figure right now, and definitely not in the classroom. I think it's better if you supported her from a distance for the time being. Let it go and give her the space she needs, Severus, she's family now, after all."

"I trust my staff," Severus said, his eyes darting to Boulderdash, who nodded approvingly. "But trusting family is anything but easy, considering I know very well what they're capable of."

"How curious; I believe that is Lucky's opinion as well," Boulderdash said evenly.

Severus gazed at him silently for a while before reminding everyone of the time. Taking the hint immediately, Danny and Boulderdash walked out together, while Severus took to his desk and stared over his lesson plan broodingly.

* * *

_Dear Madame Mirth,_

_Recently I feel like one of my friends has been trying to avoid me, and I'm a bit worried that he might be doing it because I have had a secret crush on him for years. Of course, to complicate matters, he's had a crush on my cousin, and although he says he's over it, nobody really believes him. I'd like to believe it, but I'm afraid if I say anything, it'll just make matters even worse. Any advice? In a Jam._

_ Dear In a Jam;_

_ They're called crushes for a reason, because that's how they usually end up. Save the jam for your toast, and pay more attention to the one asking you to tea. Madame Mirth._

Gary shook his head, looking up from the paper and towards the other Gryffindors sitting at the breakfast table.

"Does anyone here not know who exactly 'has had a secret crush' and on whom?" he asked with exasperation.

"It is rather obvious," Connie agreed, eyeing how Lucky was rolling up her sausage in her pancake so she could try and copy it. "Do you suppose your brother guesses?"

"He knows," Gary said, nodding to her. "He's hoping to hold out until she comes to her senses."

"I'm sure she will. Lindsay is a sensible girl," Connie said.

"Normally, ya. Recently, no," Lucky said. "Now me, if I was Bobby, I wouldn't put up with it, not one bit."

"Well, you're not Bobby, not by a long shot," Gary said. "You're missing a vital organ, for starters."

"Oh yeah? Well, he's missing a couple himself then," Lucky retorted.

"Yeah. But then, so are you," Gary said, immediately ducking under the table before Lucky had a chance to react.

"Never mind, we'll catch up with him in the library before too long," Connie said when Lucky looked under the table to see where he went and scowling when he was nowhere in sight. "It's Saturday, he's always there early."

"Ya, maybe, but let's go out and practice some soccer first," Lucky said.

"Not me. It snowed last night, Lucky! Don't you remember how bad the turf got last year when we tried to play football when it was like this? I'm not going out there," Connie protested. "Besides, I'm on the study schedule to help Connie and Pimra prepare for their Defense test on Monday. Professor Aurelius threatened their whole class with what he called 'hands-on defensive training' if their marks don't improve and that they're all going to have to face their worst nightmares or something. He's got them all dithering."

"Rel ain't gonna hurt a student! He's all drama," Lucky snorted. "Besides, last year there was new sod put down. It ain't going to be as bad as it was then, and I got a better idea for a spell for that problem," Lucky argued. "Not ta mention Ambrose said somethin' about showin' us some of what they've been workin' on lately…"

"Okay, Lucky, fine," Connie said with exasperation. "_The Prophet_ says it's supposed to warm up a bit this afternoon, so if the snow melts by the time our meeting is over, I'll go along."

"What? But that's hours from now, what am I going to do until then?" Lucky scowled.

"Aren't you supposed to do forms on Saturday mornings?" Connie sighed.

"Not until Sunday this week. Andrew had a date," Lucky shrugged.

"You could always study," Connie suggested, finishing her breakfast.

"No way. I've studied more the last few months than I usually do in a year."

"Yes, to get out of a class," Connie said, shaking her head disapprovingly.

"It worked, didn't it?" Lucky said.

"Hey, you can always come out to the Quidditch Pitch and watch us practice for a change, Lucky," Reggie asked from down the table.

"What, and have to witness one of you guys breakin' your necks? No thanks, I got enough stress in my life without addin' more to it," Lucky said.

"Well, that I can believe," Reggie said, turning back to his friends, while Lucky glared at his back.

"I'd better get going," Connie said.

"Fine, I'll be outside if anyone cares. I don't feel like bein' cooped up today."

"All right, Lucky, but don't stay out long enough to catch a cold or anything," Connie sighed, knowing her advice would probably not be heeded in the slightest. She waved goodbye and hurried towards the library.

Lucky in turn walked back up to the room for her ball, taking some time to feed her rabbit and check for any new post in the basket on the windowsill before finally putting on another layer of clothing. As she got to the main floor, she sighed when she noticed a small group of girls 'casually' standing just on the other side of the entrance and knew what to expect as she stepped out into the corridors. Carefully she tried to creep around where Mr. Carnegie was busy working on a broken doorknob.

Ironically, it was the fact that she was trying to creep past that caught Carnegie's attention, glancing up from the pair of enchanted lockpicks he had been using and catching sight of Lucky before she crossed out of his view.

"Oh, no! You'll not be tellin' me you're going out in _those_ shoes, are you, Miss Snape?" Carnegie said. "And don't be pretendin' ye didn't hear me either!"

"What?" Lucky said, bouncing the ball distractedly. "They're clean!"

"And more'n likely they'll not be stayin' that way. There had better not be a single smudge on that staircase when you come back in!" Carnegie warned.

"Ya, sure, fine," Lucky sighed, and began to turn away.

"Just a moment, Miss Snape! Back over here, if you please," Carnegie said. Rolling her eyes when her back was turned to him, Lucky reluctantly walked over. "I've a small errand for you to run since you're heading that way. Head down to the Potion Lab and see if Professor Craw has a bottle of Larsen's Waterbane Lubricant for this supply room door's lock."

"It's not on the way out," Lucky complained. "Why don't I just open it?"

"Because it's the lock that's broken, not the door," Carnegie said, chuckling at her. "And if it were only about getting in, I'd not need your help for it. I was opening doors before you were born, so just mind and be about your errand," Carnegie said, fiddling with the lock again, but Lucky stood there and gazed at him fixedly.

"Are you a Number Turner too?" she asked flatly. John Carnegie flashed her a grin.

"No, I'm an Irishman," he said calmly, hiding his amusement in his work. "I think if I had been a natural such as yourself, I'd have never been caught… well, not walking the straight and narrow, as they say. True, I might have acquired a reputation of bein' uncontainable over the years, but it was a hard earned skill that took many hours to perfect, Miss Snape, so not at all the same."

"Why would you have wanted to learn in the first place?" Lucky asked.

"Ah, that, well, I was a bit of a rascal when I was your age," he explained. "Never could keep me at home for long. M'father always came chasin' after me and bringin' me home, contenting himself to lock me in closets. After a while, I got to figuring out how to get out of them, where he himself was thinkin' that someone else might be lettin' me out. He kept changing the locks, only for me to sit and in the dark and test it until I figured it out. But a'course, that made him all the more sure it wasn't me, until finally, he began locking me rooms that could only be locked from the inside, taking the only key with him when he left."

"Wait a minute," Lucky said, suddenly suspicious of the story. "If it could only be locked from the inside, how the hell did he get out?"

"That's no wonder. Me father could walk through walls," Carnegie said, looking up from the lock to see the girl staring blankly at him. "Now what about that potion, Miss Snape? I'd just as soon not spend all day about this."

"Sure," Lucky said, finally wandering down the corridor, still wondering to take any of that seriously or not.

* * *

Jennifer cracked open one of the long windows in the lab and took a deep breath to try and clear the morning haze out of her mind, smiling softly at the glistening white snow around the lake, which seemed to lap at it in protest at the arrival of winter. Most of the denizens of the lake had retreated deep below the surface, some sleeping, others seeking warmer water.

"Heya, Jackie!" Lucky said, walking in. Jennifer put her hands on her hips and turned around.

"Now you know you're supposed to call me Professor Craw when we're at school, Lucky."

"Ya, but nobody else is in the room," Lucky shrugged. Jennifer thought about it.

"Okay, so you have a point," Jennifer said as Lucky wandered over to find the coffee pot full.

"Expecting someone?"

"I'm opening the lab today so people have a chance to get their projects done before we break for the holidays, since I doubt anyone's going to want to be here next weekend to do it," Jennifer said.

"Oh ya, Hogsmeade," Lucky said, dumping several cubes of sugar in the cup. "Anyhow, Carnegie wanted to know if you had any waterbane potion for a lock he's working on."

"More than likely," Jennifer agreed, getting up walking into her office. "And don't you dare bounce that ball in the lab. Isn't it a bit snowy for that?"

"Nah, Essie says it's gonna warm up later. You know, you should get the Professor to organize your shelves again."

"That's all he has to do," Jennifer said dryly, still searching for the potion.

"Maybe it's in the potion vault," Lucky suggested.

"No, it's common enough that I'm quite sure Severus would have put it in here," Jennifer said. Lucky smirked. "Aha! Here's one! This will do the trick."

"Thanks," Lucky said, taking the phial, glancing at it. "So what's with that guy anyhow?"

"Who, Lucky?" Jennifer asked distractedly, putting the potions in front some kind of basic order in the front row to disguise the state of the rest of the shelf.

"Carnegie. He's like a closet case in more ways than one," Lucky said. Jennifer blinked and looked at her searchingly, then shook her head.

"Lucky, you know better than to even hint at disrespect about a member of this staff," Jennifer said disapprovingly.

"Ya, but that's what I don't get. He don't seem like the type of person who'd want to work here," Lucky shrugged. "What exactly happened between him and the Professor again?"

"It's a long story, as is practically everyone on staff's stories are as to how they got here," Jennifer chuckled. "Now, you'd better run along with that potion. I think I hear some of my students coming in," Jennifer said, but then grinned mischievously. "Unless of course you want to stay and pick up some pointers in case you want to pick up Item Enchantment next year…"

"No way, I'm leavin'," Lucky said. Jennifer chuckled as the two of them came out and Lucky immediately walked out the door. Jennifer then went over to the cages to check on some of the live specimens, making sure they all had food and water.

"Good morning, Professor," one of the students said as he walked over to his shelf to get his supplies.

"Oh, good morning, Peter. Come to work on your Dabbler's project? I found that dried cockatrice sinew you needed," Jennifer said with a smile, walking over to her desk.

"Oh, great! And here I was ready with a list of possible substitutes for you!" the Ravenclaw said with a sigh of relief as he took the small phial from her.

"Well, I had to call in two favors, actually, and I don't think you'll favor the price tag, so if you still want to try a substitute…"

"Not really, not for this," he said, handing her some coins.

"Thank you! Help yourself to coffee or porridge or scones if you like," Jennifer said, getting out a small tin to put the money in and signing off on one of the notes inside.

"No thanks, I had time to eat today," Peter said, turning on his burners. "Oh, there's another galleon on the floor by your desk, Professor. Perhaps you dropped it out of the box."

As Jennifer looked down and gazed at the coin, a curious sensation went through her as she looked at the head of a goblin, very certain the déjà vu was inspired by what she had seen in the coin when she had first started the experiment. She looked up quite startled when she heard someone at the door, a curious fear running through her so evident that Reggie, walking in with Sharon Hampton, stopped in his tracks.

"All right if we work on our items?" Reggie asked, uncertain of her reaction.

"Oh, um, yes of course, that's why we're here, after all," Jennifer said distractedly. "Come on in, I just need to take care of something real quick."

Jennifer slipped into her office, Reggie shrugging at the girl beside him and whispering quietly to her as they got their projects. Several minutes later, the Professor came back out again, pushing her glasses high in her nose and letting out a long sigh as she reluctantly took a seat at her desk, lacing her fingers together and taking deep breaths as she resisted the urge to watch the doorway despite her sense of foreboding.

* * *

Lucky bounced the ball on the stairs above her as she went up, for although she knew better than to try and go against Carnegie directly, she certainly wasn't in any rush to fulfill her errand, either, taking the long way as a mild way of protesting. As she wandered up the stairs, she heard a curious rattling sound and stopped bouncing her ball, wondering if she had imagined it. Perhaps Aurelius was in his office, she mused, when she realized it seemed to be coming from the Defense rooms. But on a Saturday? Normally, he took off to do what he called, 'taking care of real business.' Auror business, she knew; and although his name was seldom mentioned in the papers, Lucky suspected that he had something to do with all the arrests Harry had been getting on the weekends lately. Still, if that were the case and he was out chasing criminals again, who would be in his office? Frowning at that, Lucky decided to knock, peering in the classroom door.

"Alo? Anyone there?" Lucky asked, and then paused to listen to the quiet room. Shrugging it off, she was about to turn around when she heard the curious rattling sound again, apparently coming from his office. Sticking the potion in her pocket and the ball on a chair, Lucky went up to the office door and knocked, the room once again falling into silence. "'Ey Rel, it's just me. You in there?" she asked.

Just as she began to crack her knuckles and contemplating opening the door to check, the rattling seemed to move to a small cabinet right beside her. She jumped back in surprise as the case rattled and then stopped, followed by the drawer rattling on the table next to it, then another case, then several of the desks, until finally landing in the supply cabinet, which shook violently for a moment before finally settling. Lucky frowned at it worriedly, not taking her eyes off the cabinet while she listened at the office door. But she was sure now that whatever it was that Rel had attempted to lock up in his office had definitely broken out and was now seeking refuge in the room with her.

Lucky found herself thinking back through all her assignments to try and remember something that could have possibly moved from container to container like that, especially when some of the drawers had been so small. That being the case, how bad could it be? After all, if Rel had locked something in his office, it was probably for a demonstration next week, and despite her classmates fears, she knew perfectly well that he wasn't going to put something in front of the class he didn't think they could handle.

Then again, what if it were an imp or a pixie, there to cause mischief or try and steal something? They were probably small enough to have done it, and despite their size had a great deal of wild magic. Reasoning that was just as likely a possibility as something Rel had intentionally tried to lock up, Lucky got out her wand and approached, cautiously and gently opening one side with the flick of her wand, finding herself in a defensive stance.

But as prepared as she thought she was, nothing could have prepared her from the horror and shock of watching her birth father kick his way out of the closet with an expression on his face she remembered all too well.

"No! You're dead! I killed you!" Lucky shouted at him, backing up. "_Muerto!_ Go away! _No tocarme!_" But the figure kept moving forward while beckoning her closer with a mocking smile, putting his hands up as if to grab her. As she began to scream, the figure began to smoke.

Danny and Severus, standing at the door of the gym, heard the blood curdling scream echo down the halls. Severus recognized it at once and immediately sprinted down the hall, quickly passed up by a grey fox that darted down the hallways in front of him. As they crossed through the main hall, Severus finally realized she was heading for the Defense room. Terror ripped through him as he remembered what Rel had been planning for his third year class and he focused in on the room, his next step taking him right to the doorway just after Danny had arrived and changed back into her normal form, the two of them staring in horror at the figure standing over the girl who was still shouting at him in Spanish and backing into a corner.

"No, Professor!" Danny exclaimed and pushed Severus back out of the doorway before he could charge in.

"What are you doing? I need to get in there!" Severus protested.

"No, you can't! If you go in there, that boggart will change into you instead of him! It would totally devastate her!" Danny snapped at him, and then ran in herself.

Reluctantly Severus watched at the doorway as Danny ran in front of the terrified girl, the boggart quickly changing into a fierce dog larger than Danny, barking aggressively at both of them.

"Don't hurt her!" Lucky shouted before Danny could get a spell off, a wave of pure anger overwhelming the fear as she saw someone else being put in danger by whatever it was threatening them. "Don't hurt anybody EVER AGAIN!"

Suddenly, the figure burst into flames, and at Severus' word of warning, Danny managed to push herself and the girl back before being too terribly burnt, while the boggart writhed in agony, the form it took becoming deformed as it tried to retreat to the closet, which also began to smoke. Quickly, Danny cast an extinguish spell on it with Severus doing the same from his angle, managing to get it out within seconds.

"Professor, get the doctor," Danny said, and Severus quickly left as Danny attempted to shake Lucky out of her statue-like vigil over the closet, determined to set it aflame again if it moved. "Lucky, are you all right?"

"Is it dead?" Lucky asked in a dark, soft voice.

"I sure hope not." Danny said, putting a tight arm around the girl and not letting go. "Come on, let's get you to the hospital wing. Poor Humphrey! I hope the doctor knows what to do."

* * *

Severus paced outside the hospital wing restlessly. The doctor had quickly come in and just as quickly left, while Danny and Jennifer stayed with her until Ginny finally arrived, smiling at Severus comfortingly before she went in to take over. A few minutes later, Jennifer came out and went over to him.

"How are they?" Severus asked softly. Jennifer sighed.

"Well, the burns aren't bad, Severus. Danny acted very quickly to get those charms up; it's more the trauma of what happened that's affecting Lucky more. Ginny is going to tend Danny's burns and release her, but they want to keep Lucky there for now and she's given her a sleeping potion. Try not to worry, Severus," Jennifer added quietly, seeing his expression. "Once she's rested and her mind is clear enough for her to understand what really happened back there, she'll bounce back. It could have been much worse."

"Yes, I suppose it could have," Severus murmured. "I very nearly made it worse by simply stepping into that room. Had Danny not been with me…" he suddenly paused and squinted. "Actually, she had came by the gym because you gave her a message to drop by the Potion Lab because you wanted to ask me about something. Ran into you coming down from the Owlery, I think? What was it you wanted to ask me?"

"Really, Severus, that's hardly important under the circumstances, is it?" Jennifer sighed with exasperation, pushing her spectacles up. "Besides, I don't remember. All the same, I am glad she was there, if you think it would have turned out worse if she hadn't been, I mean."

"Yes," Severus said distantly, his mixed expression betraying how torn he was about the fact he knew that Jennifer had interfered again. The professional and personal side of Severus began to battle it out, knowing full well as Headmaster he should probably take the Obol away from her, while the other realized that Jennifer had saved their daughter from an even worse tragedy than what had happened, one that would have scarred his relationship with the girl forever. Before he could actually make up his mind, Danny slipped out into the hall, her clothes a bit singed and her skin still glossy from the balms that had been rubbed in, but otherwise looked to be in fair shape.

"She's sleeping now," Danny said, glancing between them. "I think she'll be all right, so long as the rest of the school doesn't somehow get wind of what happened, because I don't think it'd be good for her fire sensitivity to come out right now."

"It will never be a good time for that to come out," Severus snapped.

"Oh, well, true, I suppose," Danny agreed. "Anyhow, Ginny recommends someone stay with her today so she doesn't wake up alone, and I'd suggest we also keep it female," she added apologetically. Severus simply nodded somberly. "Ginny already volunteered to stay and take the first watch. I've got to run home, but then I'm available for a shift as well."

"I'll take over after lunch until you get back then," Jennifer agreed.

"Sounds like a plan," Danny nodded. "How's Humphrey?"

"We haven't had time to go down there yet," Severus said. "Although I suppose now that she's asleep we shall go shortly. I do know that the doctor didn't think that it was safe to move the boggart from its hiding place, so Carnegie moved the supply cabinet out to Sagittari's hut."

"I'm sure that went without notice," Danny sighed.

"Well, if anyone asks, we'll simply tell them there was an accident with a boggart and he got hurt. Really, it is the truth if not altogether forthcoming," Jennifer said. Severus gazed at her.

"Useful tactic. And how well you've been doing that lately," Severus said.

"Doing what?" Jennifer parried, refusing to look at him, while Danny's eyes shifted from one to the other.

"Fine, let's go with that, then, and let Lucky fill in or not fill in any blanks with her friends as she likes, I suppose," Severus sighed.

"I'll keep an eye on her then to make sure those don't get out of hand," Danny said with amusement. "I had better go. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Take care," Jennifer said. "And thank you."

"Just doing my job," Danny said with a grin, glancing at Severus who was nodding to her as well, and then opened up a painting and slipped into the secret passage beyond it.

"Let's go check on Humphrey, Severus," Jennifer suggested quickly, immediately walking down the corridor in an obvious attempt to keep him from questioning her any further. "As silly as it may sound to be concerned over a boggart, I do hope he's all right. After all, Humphrey has been at this castle as long as I can remember."

"Ever since I was a student, actually," Severus said, hurrying up beside her and taking her arm, the action reassuring her as his personal side finally won out. "Attracted, I think, by all the fear emanating from the school at the time. It was Sirius that decided to name the thing, and the staff at the time had the gall to pick it up, despite my protests and arguments to everyone that would listen that once you name a thing, no matter how repulsive it is, someone is bound to get attached to it."

"How very true," Jennifer agreed, chuckling. "All the same, I don't think I could see the school without a boggart now anymore than I could see it without a poltergeist. It builds character."

"Yes, but whose, I wonder?" Severus asked as they stepped outside, walking over the blinding snow over to the hut. When he knocked, the door opened on its own, and they stepped in to see that the closet was in the main room and Sagittari was closing the door of the charred cabinet protectively when they stepped in.

"Close the door, and please speak quietly," Sagittari advised. "The standard sleeping potions do not seem to be working, so I'm going to have to come up with something special, I think."

"How is he?" Severus asked in a low voice.

"He is not doing well, Severus, but he is still alive," Sagittari said.

"Is there anything I can brew up for you to help?" Jennifer asked.

"Not yet, Jennifer, thank you, but I may once I find a working solution. There is a formula I have on file that works for doppelgangers that I'd like to try first that only needs a few simple modifications and I can do it in my office quickly enough. I would, however, appreciate it if you would watch over things here, and make certain no one else comes in, especially students. We really do need to keep him as calm as possible. Creatures of this nature have a very decentralized anatomy being made up of more energy than matter, and the best thing for him right now is keeping him still so he can heal himself without being compelled to change shape, and maintaining a lower than normal temperature, which I have just finishing applying to the cabinet he is in, as well as a charm to keep him from moving to another location. Hopefully the sedatives I have tried so far will last until I have this other one made. Excuse me a moment."

The two of them watched as Sagittari clopped into his examination room, the room getting fairly quiet with only the crackle from the fireplace. Jennifer peered at the empty stove with a sigh, for Sagittari hardly had any time to cook under such circumstances.

"I think I'm going to see if Sagittari has some left over stew or something I can put on the fire for him. He's sure to forget to eat with a needy patient here unless I do," Jennifer decided.

"Are you sure it's not your own stomach you're thinking about?" Severus said knowingly, Jennifer giving him a dirty look as she walked across the room. "Careful around the cabinet, Jennifer."

"I'm not about to startle him, Severus," Jennifer chided, pulling a cauldron out of the icebox and putting it on a hook over the fireplace and making sure there was water in the kettle as well before pushing it over. But when she looked back at Severus, he was watching the cabinet warily.

"I think Sagittari is right in that the sedative didn't take hold. I believe I saw the cabinet shake just now," he said.

"I hope he doesn't injure himself further," Jennifer said, gazing at it with a frown despite the fact that she hadn't seen anything. "Perhaps I'd better secure the cabinet door just in case so he doesn't overextend himself."

"No, here, let me do that," Severus said, walking over to latch it.

Just as he reached up to do so, the door popped open, and he quickly reached to catch it, planning to quickly coax the creature back in and close it again so he could latch it. But as he caught sight of it he found himself momentarily frozen, for it was not his own face at all.

It was the face of Samira.

Taken completely off guard, Severus scrambled backwards in terror as Samira flew out in demon form with her black tentacle hair lashing out in every direction, deep blue eyes piercing enough to sap a man's soul, and her curving figure bulged as if with child. He couldn't get away fast enough, soon tripping over the table and stools and finding himself on the floor.

"Oh, Severus!" Jennifer cried out, taking out her wand and rushing to his aid, jumping out in front of him and forcing the creature to look at her instead. But as Humphrey took on a new form, it was Jennifer's turn to be startled, for she found herself pointing her wand at Severus… and yet much different than the man scrambling to his feet behind her… a Severus with an expression both cruel and uncaring that chilled her to the bone. Had she the strength to look behind her, however, the cruel expression was nothing compared to the look of complete horror that had come across her husband's own face at seeing his image manifest from Jennifer's own fears.

"What are you doing?" Sagittari snapped as he thundered out of the door, pushing himself in front of the creature, who slowly melted into a swamp-like mass, the face of Lyra evident in its surface. "I told you to keep him calm! Have neither of you any sense at all? Put down that wand and get out of my way!"

"I… we're sorry, Sagittari, we were startled," Jennifer explained as a syringe floated behind the creature and suddenly injected itself in the Bogwight.

"That much is evident! I thought I could at least count on the two of you to stay calm in the presence of one injured boggart, but I see I was expecting too much!" Sagittari said angrily. "Both of you wait outside!"

Jennifer and Severus quickly exited, the door slamming shut behind them. The silence seemed almost deafening as they stood there in the slushy snow and staring at the door, neither of them really wanting to talk about what had just occurred. But after standing there a moment, Jennifer timidly reached out and put a hand on his arm. Almost immediately she felt Severus drawing her in tightly. Neither of them spoke a word until they heard the door rattle and Jennifer quickly slipped back away from him.

Sagittari looked between their strange expressions before finally stepping out of the hut.

"It appears that the modifications seem to be adequate. He's resting peacefully now," Sagittari said.

"That is good to hear," Severus said quietly. "I apologize for how sour things went. We had not expected it to get so out of hand."

"Yes, I do hope we didn't make things worse, Sagittari," Jennifer said fervently. Sagittari sighed.

"Well, assuming he is not disturbed any more and he gets plenty of rest the next few weeks, perhaps he will be all right. At least I will not worry about him starving," he added dryly. "I believe after today he is quite gorged and I shouldn't have to worry about feeding him until he has recovered some of her strength."

"Thank you, Sagittari. I would hate for anything to happen to that boggart. I'm afraid I hadn't realized just how much we had taken Humphrey for granted until now," Severus said stiffly. Jennifer nodded thoughtfully. "Anything else you need?"

"Well, I'll definitely need more of this formula," Sagittari said, taking out a scrap of paper. Jennifer immediately stepped up to take it. "And I am going to need to keep him here away from the castle and away from the emotional distractions of its inhabitants. I would like permission to change my classes to meet on the pitch and perhaps schedule some forest excursions until he is more capable of handling it."

"Feel free to come up to the study at your leisure when you've an idea of any changes you need to make to your lesson plan to accomplish it," Severus said with a nod.

"Thank you, Severus," Sagittari nodded, going back inside.

"I'd better get this started and then go check on Lucky," Jennifer said, but Severus caught her sleeve, forcing her to look up.

"Are you all right?" he asked expressionlessly. Jennifer thought about it for a moment, and then nodded.

"I think so," Jennifer said softly. "You?"

"No, not really," Severus murmured. Jennifer nodded again, but then gave him a warm, gentle kiss and a supportive smile.

"I love you, Severus," Jennifer whispered back. "No matter what else happens, that's never going to change."

"And I you," he said back, but despite meaning it wholeheartedly, it sounded rather flat and awkward in his ears.

"Things will get better, Severus. Time heals all wounds, after all," she reassured him before finally walking away. Severus gazed after her intently, watching her until she disappeared into the castle and stood there long after, lost in thought.


	21. The Secret of Madame Mirth

Chapter Twenty-One

The Secret of Madame Mirth

Lucky slowly opened her eyes, feeling quite disoriented about her surroundings, focusing in on Madame Brittle, who put down her book and smiled warmly at her.

"Good evening. How are you feeling?" Danny asked.

"Headache," Lucky grunted.

"Not all that surprising, you've slept all day," Danny explained, helping her sit up a bit and handing her some water. "Count yourself lucky," she added with a wink. "I'm afraid poor Humphrey is going to be out a lot longer."

"Humphrey?" Lucky asked in confusion.

"Humphrey is the boggart you happened to run into," Danny said, watching as Lucky squinted, thinking back over her last year's class. "I'm afraid you blundered into what Professor Aurelius had planned for his third year test, but now that Humphrey is under Doctor Sagittari's care, he'll have rethink his strategy now. You know what a boggart is by now, right?"

"They're empathic changelings that feed off fear," Lucky said stonily, sounding very much like she was quoting something out of a textbook.

"Yes," Danny nodded, watching the girl's waxy expression. "It can instinctively pull out your worst fears and then manifest it in some way to get a response, only this time poor Humphrey bit off more than she could chew. She wouldn't have truly hurt you, you know," Danny added gently.

"Ya, well, you didn't see your father coming out of there, either," Lucky snapped angrily.

"Actually, I did in a way," Danny said calmly, ignoring the sudden temper. "Considering it was my father's dogs that scared me more than any of the others. Sure, any of the countless hounds owned by one Muggle client or another that my father brought in to 'gamble' with could have ripped me apart, not knowing me as anything but a fox. But my father's dogs would have done it even knowing what I was… they knew all the places that I liked to hole up, and they knew how to find me when I didn't want to be found, and they were always at his beckon call. Of course I still fear them, even now so many years after the fact, when I truly have no logical reason to. I still find myself paralyzed by the sight of them, even knowing they'd never harm me. It's tough sometimes, to get over stuff like that," Danny admitted quietly.

"I don't wanna be scared of him all my life!" Lucky said with obvious dread.

"No, I don't blame you," Danny sighed. "But he's dead, Lucky, long gone. He can't hurt you anymore, Lucky, not if you don't let him."

"I don't wanna talk about it," Lucky suddenly decided, but Danny simply nodded with complete acceptance.

"Me either, really. It reminds me that my father is still around," Danny said dryly.

"Maybe that's why you're not over it yet," Lucky suggested.

"Maybe," Danny said quietly. "Or maybe some things you just don't get over completely, you just learn how to live with it."

"I don't want to live with it," Lucky murmured.

"Yeah, I know," Danny agreed. "I don't either." Neither of them said anything for a long time.

"Hey, tell me about the time the Professor belted your father again?" Lucky suggested. Danny grinned at her with amusement and then told her the story once more, slipping in a little more detail than the first time around.

* * *

Aurelius frowned and shook his head when he glanced over the damage to his classroom the next day. Not only was the cabinet missing, the incident had left deep scorch marks over the walls and ceiling on that side of the room and had blown a window out.

"You have only yourself to blame, you know," Severus said when he saw the look on his son's face. "You never should have tried to keep a boggart locked in your office in the first place."

"I was attempting to save myself the chore of trying to find the thing again," Aurelius said. "I didn't think it'd manage to get past that barrier."

"Well, don't worry. The damage is mostly superficial, other than the loss of the items in the cabinet, and Sirius has already agreed to help John put things in order. You may use the old art room for your classes for a couple of days," Severus said.

"So much for demonstrations," Aurelius grunted. "How's Lucky?"

"She is upstairs with Andrew doing forms, pretending as if nothing happened. As is Jennifer," Severus added distantly, Aurelius gazing at him questioningly. "Make up a list of anything that you need that was in the cabinet and send it to Hermione so we can sort that out."

"All right," Aurelius said with a sigh, then looked up along with Severus as Jennifer walked up, giving the room only a glance.

"Hi. That's a mess, isn't it?" Jennifer said, ignoring her son's scowl as she turned to Severus. "Severus, are you going to let Sagittari take his classes to the Glen? He mentioned something about that when I was checking on Humphrey this morning."

"Some of them, yes, why do you ask?"

"Well, if you must know, I'm not sure I feel comfortable with it right now. Can't he just hold all his classes on the Pitch?" Jennifer asked. "After all, it is winter. Perhaps it's best to hold off until the spring."

"We always went in the winter," Aurelius put in.

"Yes, only because we couldn't keep you out of there in February," Jennifer said knowingly.

"It also helps that some of the nastier creatures in the forest tend to hibernate, or are at least less active in the winter," Aurelius pointed out. "I'm sure Sagittari can handle anything that comes up."

"I can ask him to bring the Spear with him, Jennifer, if you're concerned," Severus said.

"Actually, I'd rather another staff member go along on these trips," Jennifer said. "Even in winter, the Forest isn't the safest place. What if there's some sort of emergency, and a student gets injured or wanders off or something? I really think there needs to be a second person on hand so that Sagittari doesn't have to choose whether or not to leave the rest of the class behind if something happens to one of them."

"It almost sounds as if you're expecting something to go wrong, Mum," Aurelius said with a frown.

"Aurelius, I'll remind you that I am the head of security in this school. It's my job to expect things to go wrong," Jennifer retorted.

"You definitely have a point," Severus nodded in agreement, ignoring Aurelius' suspicious squint towards his mother, who had pushed up her spectacles again. "Sending only one professor into the Dark Forest with a slew of rather unpredictable students is doing nothing short of tempting fate." He gazed thoughtfully at Aurelius, apparently missing Jennifer's purse-lipped expression. "You said earlier you had planned tests for all of your classes this week, correct?"

"Right, last ones before reviews start," Aurelius nodded.

"Let's get with Hermione then to have someone sit in with you during the days that Sagittari is going. No one else here knows that forest as well as you do, and I'd rather not leave anything to chance," Severus said evenly. Aurelius glanced at his mother and then back to him again.

"All right. They'll have a better chance meeting up with the herd if I'm with them anyway," Aurelius sighed. Jennifer broke into a smile.

"Can I assume then that I can tell Hermione your conferences are open for schedule changes if needed?" Severus asked Jennifer.

"Oh, absolutely," Jennifer said. "In fact, I think I'll go make certain my classes are in order so I'm not missing the extra time," she decided, Severus simply nodding in response as she hurried down the hall. Aurelius watched her go, shaking his head.

"Let's walk over to see Sagittari," Severus suggested. Aurelius nodded with a sigh.

"At least Mum sounded sincere about staying here and filling in. I don't suppose it's too late to install shackles in the classroom to keep her there?" Aurelius asked wryly.

"I hardly think that'll be necessary," Severus said calmly. "Her request was hardly unreasonable."

"No, but I can't help but wonder about the timing, or the fact she had her glasses pushed up, which always means she's up to something," Aurelius said. "Oh, wait a minute. Do you suppose she's trying to get rid of me for some reason?" Severus stopped short and stared at him.

"That is the most preposterous conjecture I have ever heard of. How could anything like that even come out of your mouth?" Severus asked.

"Well, it'd explain a lot, wouldn't it?" Aurelius said.

"Aurelius, I believe now is a good time to remind you that right now you're a professor, and not an Auror, and even if you weren't speaking as either at that moment, your mother would do nothing of the sort," Severus said.

"Oh, yes she would, and it wouldn't be the first time, either. Remember when she handed me that gaseous sleeping potion and left me in the secret passages under this castle?" Aurelius said.

"Yes, in an attempt to find out what was going on and to try and save your life, as I recall," Severus reminded him.

"The point is she is capable of it, Father."

"No, the point is that she will do whatever it takes to preserve her family and this school," Severus said, his resolute voice waning curiously until it was barely audible, "no matter what the personal expense is to herself."

"Which is exactly why she can't be trusted," Aurelius concluded. And even though Severus hadn't missed the subtle joking tone in his voice or the wry grin that had gone with it, Severus was too busy digesting the ironic truth in the statement to appreciate the intended humor that had gone with it.

* * *

Ambrose leaned heavily over the table in the Owl Room and tried to read the numbers upside down as Lucky tallied the last of the Zonko's money.

"So how we doin', Lucky?" he asked at last.

"Well, we got enough to start it, just not enough to finish," Lucky grunted, double-checking her work.

"We still have that bake sale before we break for the holidays," Ambrose said, trying to cheer her up.

"I don't think we're gonna make enough dough to make up for this kinda deficit," Lucky sighed. Ambrose sighed too, but then realized what she had said and chuckled at the pun. "I dunno, Bill, we're just gonna hafta come up with somethin' else without a miracle."

Just then, Delia wandered in, glancing around then letting out a sigh.

"Good, it's just you two," she said. "I've just finished my investigations."

"Investigations? Of what?" Ambrose asked.

"Of what rumors are floating in the school about what happened last weekend, of course," Delia said with exasperation. "Of course they have no clue what _really_ happened, but there is a danger of the wrong things being said. You can never be too sure what rumors are running around the school."

"Sure I can. They're all following you," Lucky snapped. Delia grimaced at her, stuck up her nose, and walked indignantly out of the room.

"She's just trying to help, Lucky," Ambrose said quietly. "We may not know what you saw in there, but it's obvious to us what happened to the boggart. She's just trying to be supportive in her own way."

"Well, if she wants to be supportive she can learn to keep her trap shut so I'm not tempted ta put a fist in it," Lucky snapped, getting up. "I'd better go get ready for Magical Creatures."

"All right. Have fun, Lucky!" Ambrose said cheerfully.

"Ya right, thanks," Lucky said unenthusiastically, dropping the ledger off on Boulderdash's desk before wandering out the door.

Despite the fact that there was no snow on the ground, the air was quite cold and there was an almost painful glare coming from the sunny blue sky that hurt the eyes and made her squint as she walked over the grounds, quite relieved to join the others in the shadow of the forest's edge. Shoving her hands in her pockets, Lucky walked over to where Gary, Helena and Pimra were waiting, chatting softly between each other and making room for her when she came over.

"This is all rather exciting isn't it?" Pimra said, glancing around to see if all the students were there yet.

"Anything is more exciting than cleaning out the stable," Lucky snorted.

"Well, I definitely agree with that," Helena said.

"Oh no, is he going along?" Gary scowled. The others looked over to see Aurelius striding over the grounds to join him.

"That's good, though, we're sure to see Unicorns with Aurelius along," Pimra said.

"Big deal. All they are are horses with horns on them," Gary snorted.

"They're much more than that, Gary," Pimra sighed. "Have you forgotten how they once saved the school from a Dementor attack? Unicorns are so pure they're immune to their attacks, and if it hadn't been for the fact that Professor Craw was pure enough to ride one, a lot of people might have been killed."

"Riding one doesn't take purity," Gary snorted. "You just need to be a virgin. Point being Professor Aurelius rides one, and there is nothing pure about him." Suddenly he felt his air cut off as his collar got yanked backwards, coughing and rubbing his neck while looking sheepishly at the irate-looking Auror standing behind him.

"And just when did Professor Snape hire you as the Magical Creatures instructor, Mr. March?" Aurelius asked irately.

"I was just expressing an opinion," Gary said defiantly.

"Be glad this isn't _my_ class, or you would be finding yourself with a test in your hands… or better yet, out in the middle of the forest alone somewhere so you can prove just how knowledgeable you are, so your classmates can laugh at you when you come out of there with missing limbs. Either way, I suggest you had better get over there and line up with the others. And ten points off from Gryffindor, for not paying attention if no other reason," Aurelius snarled, pointing them over at where the rest of the class stood with Sagittari, all of them gazing over at the small group of students from where they had lined up by the path. Lucky simply sighed and walked over to the end of the lines, while the other three were a bit more wary about having to pass the scowling professor, hurrying past and looking nervously back at him as Aurelius took his place at the back of the line. Gary shifted a bit, and Pimra blinked when she realized she was the one standing last just in front of him.

"Apparently being mental isn't a problem with Unicorns," Gary murmured under his breath as he was passing Helena and Lucky to get further up the line as the walked into the Dark Forest.

"Gimme a break, he isn't that bad," Lucky muttered.

"Well, no, not to us, but he does seem to be a little hard on Gary and some of the other Gryffindors," Helena pointed out from beside her. "Rather like all those nightmare stories my parents used to tell us about Snape, only this time it's for real."

Lucky gave her a dirty look and decided to move up herself, using the pretense of trying to hear Doctor Sagittari better as an excuse to get closer to the front.

"Once we arrive at the Glen, I expect everyone to stay behind me at this edge of the forest. The space is open, and we should be able to get a good view of any number of the forest's denizens from there without disturbing any of them," Sagittari was saying. "If the herd decides to come out, stay behind me and do not approach on your own. They are curious creatures and are more than likely going to approach on their own to see what you are doing. Allow them to establish their own comfort zone as to how close is too close, and I'm certain we'll have a productive outing," he advised.

Just then, Pimra worked her way over to them, coming up beside Helena.

"Finally got away from him, did you?" Helena murmured.

"He left," Pimra whispered back. Helena and Lucky both looking behind them to see that Aurelius was indeed nowhere to be seen. "Slipped off without a word. Didn't even realize he was gone, really."

"Take heed when you cross the stream, please. It has gotten a bit icy," Sagittari warned.

Lucky then turned her attention to where she was going, carefully crossing the icy rocks, wondering why they never bothered to put a bridge over it. The path then narrowed dramatically, and even with the reduced brush that came with winter, it was impossible to travel more than single file. A side path that they passed made Lucky look up curiously to see the silhouette of a structure in the distance. That must be the cabin Aurelius had been living at, Lucky mused, for she had never been out there before. In fact, except for Keki's Grove, she hadn't been out in the Dark Forest at all, let alone seen…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she found the area in front of her getting lighter as the students stepped out onto the Glen. The sighs of appreciation alerted her to the fact there were already Unicorns in sight, several in fact, standing on the other side and nuzzling the ground in hopes that more than the coarse grass of the Glen survived the recent frost. Lucky froze in her tracks and stared at them, losing all color, while the students behind her had to shuffle past to get a look at them.

"It's almost like looking at pure light, isn't it?" Pimra said watching them wistfully, the Unicorns watching warily back.

"They are quite beautiful," Helena agreed.

"They do seem to be put off by something, though," Gary said with a frown when it was obvious that the Unicorns had no intention of getting any closer, snorting and stamping their hooves a bit as they watched them beside the tree line. Sagittari, who was noticing the same thing and puzzling over it, caught movement out of the side of his eye and looked up just as Aurelius arrived on his steed along with several other Unicorns from another side of the Glen.

"Ah, here are the others," Sagittari said with a nod. "We have one of the largest herds in Europe, I've been told, outside of French reservations. Professor Aurelius rides their leader, Pali, who is also the oldest Unicorn in the herd."

In fact, Pali was very much starting to show his age. The scars of his youth had become more visible over time, making his coat look more dappled than white, and his weight had dropped in the last year, not that the students would notice such things, Sagittari mused.

"He has a very beautiful horn," was what Pimra said when Pali and the rest of the herd went to join the others. "It isn't like the others at all, is it?"

"It was broken when he was younger, and the angle of the break caused it to grow so," Sagittari explained.

"How long do they live if he's the oldest?" she asked.

"Twenty to twenty-five years on average," Sagittari said. "Pali and his two sibilings have already surpassed that." Helena and Pimra both frowned at that, exchanging glances. "But even though Pali is the oldest, he is also the most resilient, and is still quite strong," he added, more for Lucky's benefit than any true conviction on the matter, wondering if she realized yet what that would mean for her brother. But Lucky wasn't even aware of the conversation. She was too busy staring at the beasts with complete hatred, clutching her fists in restraint to keep herself from acting upon burning them out of existence.

Suddenly the restlessness of the Unicorns became even clearer. Several reared and faded into the trees, some baring their horns down at the students as they backed away, and even Aurelius found himself hard pressed to keep Pali from backing up, stepping sideways to keep from going any further forwards.

"What is wrong?" Aurelius asked, trying to settle him with his hand.

_The pained girl,_ Pali thought, stamping his hoof. _She doesn't like us. She is angry with us. I don't like her either. I don't want to go any closer. Can we not go galloping through the trees instead? I don't want to see them. Riding would be more fun._

"The pained girl?" Aurelius repeated, but out of his riding haze somehow realization set in, and he found his eyes focusing in on Lucky's face just as Lucky got to the point that she couldn't stand it anymore and bolted into the forest. "But that is my sister!"

_That? That doesn't smell like your sister. And she certainly doesn't feel like one._

"It's not her fault, Pali," Aurelius snapped, climbing off and trying to clear his head.

_Are you leaving me already?_ Pali asked, distressed.

"Unless you want to help me find her, yes, because I am going," Aurelius said.

_Well I don't want to go. But I don't want to leave you either. _Pali stated with an irritable flick of the tail.

"Then follow behind, and bring Kesa with you," Aurelius said.

_Kesa! But I don't want to bring Kesa…_

"Either way, I'm going," Aurelius said firmly and hurried off, glancing over at Sagittari who had been watching the exchange and wondering whether or not to go after her. "I've got it Doctor. Feel free to go ahead with the lesson."

"Very well, Professor," Sagittari said with a nod of the head, then glanced back at the others, many of them whispering to each other. "Now, where was I?"

"The evils, of poaching, sir," Helena said dutifully. Gary gave her a dirty look for reminded him.

"Oh, yes, that's right," Sagittari said with a nod.

"Oh, look!" Pimra said excitedly. Everyone followed her gaze to where Pali suddenly trotted towards them with a golden filly close beside him, trotting very close to the students as they passed into the forest near where Aurelius had gone.

"Look at the others!" Gary exclaimed in spite of himself, and they all turned around to see that the rest of the herd was finally beginning to spread out, several of them looking over at the students with perked ears and obvious interest now while others ignored them entirely.

"Seems they've calmed down now, doesn't it?" Helena asked in a questioning tone, while Sagittari gazed over them solemnly before continuing his lecture.

* * *

Lucky scrambled down the side path she had noticed before and ran behind the cabin and sank with her back to the woodshed, closing her eyes to try and block out the thoughts behind them and futilely tried to hold back her angry tears. She couldn't have possibly stayed there watching those horrendous beasts for another second, but the castle was the last place she wanted to go. In fact, in that moment she didn't want to be anywhere; there was nowhere she could go to escape her own thoughts, and she found herself thinking of something that Madame Brittle had told her and shook her head, another wave of anger and tears erupting to the surface as she buried her head in her arms and tried to shut the world out.

But it wasn't long before she heard movement as a large log suddenly lifted out of the pile and stood on its end like a stool, and Aurelius sat down with an audible sigh, but didn't say anything at all until the sobbing stopped as she attempted to pull herself together now that she knew she was being watched.

"Glad you picked somewhere sensible to bolt off to," Aurelius commented at last, leaning back against the shed. "Good to know you chose a spot that you would be able to get back on your own from if you're ready. Keki's Grove would have been another good place to go, even if it is quite a ways farther… assuming you can get in, of course. Not everyone can, you know."

"Yah right. If the twins can get in, anybody can," Lucky said in a muffled voice, refusing to look up and betray any of the thoughts in her face. Aurelius snorted softly.

"Well, how those boys behave isn't really all of their own making, and somehow I think the Grove senses that. As they get older and more responsible for their own actions, it will start to make a difference, but it wasn't really their fault that their parents decided to spoil them rotten. And none of what happened to you is your fault either, Lucky," Aurelius said firmly.

"Leave me alone. I don't wanna talk about it," Lucky snapped at him.

"Fine, I will, but I want you to meet a friend of mine first," Aurelius said, holding his hand out to the filly, who had been standing with her grandfather in the brush. Gingerly the filly came a little closer, unsure but curious, swishing her tail rapidly. "This is little Kesa." Lucky looked over at the golden filly skeptically.

"You called her cheese?" Lucky asked flatly.

"No, not quesa. Kesa, with a K," Aurelius said with exasperation. "And I don't name them, the centaurs do. Put your hand out, Lucky. She'll probably come to you."

"No thanks," Lucky said, putting her head down again.

"It's all right, you know. Baby Unicorns are incorruptible… in fact, they're practically indestructible from what I've seen. You won't hurt her," Aurelius reassured her softly.

"I hurt everything!" Lucky snapped. "Get that thing away from me!" Kesa, taking that as a challenge, let out a high whinny and put her horn down to try to answer it. "I don't like them!" There was a distinct snort from the shadows of the trees and Kesa immediately galloped towards it, bucking playfully on the way.

"I noticed," Aurelius sighed, trying to ignore Pali's irritable protests at Kesa's treatment. "Please don't feel too badly about this, Lucky. You're not the only one I've known whose had trouble with them, though. They didn't like my best friend when I was growing up, either. Of course the difference is he deserved it."

"I bet he didn't murder his whole family either," Lucky retorted.

"It was an accident, Lucky, everyone knows that," Aurelius said firmly. "You were simply trying to defend yourself from your father. You had no way of controlling that blaze once it got started, especially at that age…"

"Well then maybe I shouldn't have been trying!" Lucky shouted. "He always said they'd get hurt if I fought him, and he was right! They're all dead because of me!"

"No, Lucky! It's his fault, not yours," Aurelius said firmly.

"He didn't start the fire! I did!" Lucky snapped.

"You had no choice, Lucky! You had no choice in any of it!" Aurelius said.

"Oh, forget it! You don't understand! Nobody does!" Lucky said and broke into tears again. Aurelius sighed softly and put an arm around her, ignoring her flinch.

"Someday, Lucky. Someday you're going to wake up and realize that what we've been trying to tell you is the truth and you'll wake up from this nightmare," Aurelius said, attempting to reassure himself as well as the girl, who simply shook her head numbly. "Come on, let's get you back to the castle."

Jennifer dismissed her class early and walked out onto the parapet, watching the Dark Forest fixedly until at last she spotted Aurelius coming out with an arm around Lucky, walking her back inside. Jennifer's shoulders relaxed and she let out a deep sigh.

"I see the girl managed to get out of that mess in one piece," said a voice beside her, despite the fact that no one was there.

"Yes, apparently I accomplished that much," Jennifer murmured. "But it's so horrible at times, Icarus. Even when I see things where I know I must intercede, I feel like I'm trying the chose the lesser of two evils rather than actually improving the situation."

"Yes, I know what you mean better than anyone, although personally I think you've been guiding the situation with your daughter very well," Icarus reassured her quietly. "Fortuna's path to recovery was bound to be rough, Jennifer, nothing you could have done would have made it easier. But what you have done is made certain that things don't get any harder; you've been able to prevent several disasters now, and I for one think you've done the right thing."

"Yes, well, you would," Jennifer said dryly, opening the door to her office. "For some reason I doubt Severus would agree with us."

"It isn't Severus you have to worry about, Jennifer. He at least will be forgiving, but Viviane would not be if she weren't distracted by other things at the moment. Still, I doubt she'll turn a blind eye to it forever, Jennifer," Icarus warned.

"I won't do anything that she'd be concerned about, Ick," Jennifer sighed, for she had heard him on this subject before.

"As far as fate is concerned, she thinks everything concerns her," Icarus said. "Whether it's true or not," he added for good measure, earning a thin smile from Jennifer. "I had best get to my next class. Let me know how things turn out."

"Sure, Ick," Jennifer said with a nod and walked through her office into the classroom, fingering the Obol in her pocket thoughtfully before setting up for her next demonstration.

* * *

How Lucky managed to get to her History class after that, she wasn't quite certain. Connie looked at her somewhat swollen face questioningly but didn't say anything as she took her seat. Lucky tried to concentrate on Professor Scribe's scribbling on the blackboard in attempts of ignoring Gary's hissing as he tried to get her attention from behind her.

"You'd be better off copying down these notes rather than raising a fuss, Mr. March," Scribe said calmly, while Ambrose risked a glance back at Lucky, frowning and wondering what was wrong. As much as he loved History, he couldn't help but be distracted, and for a change was one of the first ones out the door when class got out.

"All right, Lucky?" he asked.

"How you feel about eating in the Owl Room?" Lucky asked.

"Sure," Ambrose said, having to hurry to keep up with her rapid walk.

"Lucky, wait up!" Connie said with exasperation, and Lucky sighed, slowing a bit.

"Yeah, Lucky, wait up!" Gary said, and Lucky looked even more annoyed as he and Delia caught up with them. "What happened today? Why did you take off like that? Did Professor Aurelius find you?" he asked.

"Ya," said Lucky flatly.

"How many points did we lose? Did you get in a lot of trouble?" he asked.

"No," Luck said in the same tone.

"Really? Man, if I took off like that, he'd be raking me across the coals. Must be nice to be family," Gary said. Lucky stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Gary icily.

"Never mind dinner. I think I'm gonna go upstairs and work on some stuff," Lucky said, turning smartly around to head up another corridor.

"Anything I can help with, Lucky? Do you want to study?" Connie asked.

"Nah, I'm gonna go write to my pen pal," Lucky said, waving them off.

"Does she write him a lot?" Ambrose asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, actually, more than I write to mine, at least," Connie said, sounding a bit guilty.

"I write to mine all the time," Delia put in. "It's really nice to finally have someone who understands me for a change. Her parents work for the media, but otherwise, she and I are a lot alike."

"Now there's a scary thought for you. Two Delias," Gary said.

"As if two Garys would be any better," Delia snorted as they walked off to the library.

* * *

When Connie got upstairs that evening, she was more than a little surprised to find Lucky still at her desk, glumly looking at her stationary. Frowning, Lucky covered it with her Transfiguration book as if she had been working on it instead.

"Are you really still writing?" Connie asked with exasperation, closing the door behind herself and tiredly putting down her books. "Professor Craw was asking about you at Sparring Club. You've been skipping that an awful lot lately, considering you're supposed to be taking it."

"Ya, I know," Lucky sighed, reluctantly opening up her book.

"And I see you haven't even started on your homework," she added, Connie shaking her head again before she started to get undressed. "Well, I'd get to it, if I were you, or you're going to be up so late you won't want to get up in the morning."

"Don't worry about me. Just feed your owl," Lucky sighed.

"At least I see you took time to take care of Houdini," Connie said as she check on the cage and got ready for bed. "Sure you don't want to talk about it? From what Gary told us, it sounds as if you've had a rough day."

"I've had a rough everything," Lucky snapped, but then immediately slumped. "Eh, just forget it. Maybe I'll leave this until the morning and just finish my letter."

"Probably for the best," Connie readily agreed, glad that she wouldn't be woken up in an hour by flicking light.

She climbed into bed, pulling out a magazine from under her pillow to look at. Seeing that Second Chance was on the cover with the rest of the band making symbols behind Dale's head, Lucky rolled her eyes and went back to her letter, thinking carefully over each and every line before finally sending it. Sighing, Lucky wet her fingers and snuffed out the candles before climbing into bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time until she finally felt Houdini curled up against her, the warmth enough to finally lull her to sleep.

* * *

Ambrose woke early and hurried down to the Journalism Room as he did every Friday, to look over his copy and make sure everything looked good before they set up the printer in the evening. His mind was more on Hogsmeade than it was on what he was doing, for part of him didn't really even want to go. His mother's letters seemed to be more and more about Bart since last visit, and he found himself becoming increasingly worried that he may soon have a stepfather whether he wanted one or not. Why did it feel so wrong? Didn't he want his mother to be happy? He sighed at the thought, wondering if he were being selfish as he unlocked the room and stepped in, locking the door behind himself before going over to his desk. But as he unlocked the drawer to take out his planned article, he paused when he noticed the letter on the top of the pile on his desk, for he had recognized the handwriting at once.

His own problems were immediately washed out of his mind as he opened it and read it, feeling his heart lump up in his tightening throat, slowly sinking into the pit in his stomach as he took a breath and read it one more time. Shakily he folded it up, slammed down the roll-top on the desk, and made a mad dash to the staff room, knowing that Madame Weasley was most likely to be there.

Within a flash, Ambrose found himself following her up to the Headmaster's Study, having to take the back stairs by twos to catch up until finally they arrived to find the study doors open.

Severus glanced up only briefly when he saw Hermione, assuming she simply had come to drop off paperwork, but then did a double take when she realized she had Ambrose with her and had quickly closed the doors behind them.

"Sorry to bother you, Professor, but we have a rather urgent matter to attend to," Hermione said. "Ambrose has a student emergency, and I really don't think it can wait."

"What sort of student emergency?" Severus frowned.

"I received this letter on my desk this morning, Professor," Ambrose said, handing it over. Severus immediately squinted at it.

"This post is addressed to Madame Mirth," Severus said flatly.

"Yeah. That's me," Ambrose said. Severus gazed at him fixedly for a moment. Then he stared at Hermione.

"You let a ten year old answer an advice column?" Severus asked disapprovingly.

"Well, no, actually he's been doing it since last year. In fact, it was his idea," Hermione explained. Severus looked even less impressed then before.

"I did it to try and fill an Owl Goal I had, Professor, to help others learn to help themselves," Ambrose explained. Severus flinched slightly, glancing up at Hermione who simply smiled apologetically.

"For some reason, I highly doubt this was the sort of thing the person who gave that to you intended for you to do," Severus said crisply.

"He has been doing a splendid job up until now, Professor," Hermione quickly put in. "But he did think this one was over his head and came straight to me with it. I think you'd better read it."

Letting out a short sigh, Severus opened it and put on his glasses, his frowning expression suddenly turning stony as if fixed into place as he read it. Finally he sat it down and leaned back in his chair, a strange haunted look in his eyes.

"I don't know what to do, Professor," Ambrose said quietly when he hadn't spoken in a long time. "I just want to help her."

"That's all any of us want to do, Ambrose," Hermione assured him gently.

"But she doesn't believe it," Ambrose said. "We've all tried to talk to her, but she won't talk. It's like she doesn't even know we're there. She doesn't even see us."

Severus gazed thoughtfully at him for a moment.

"Perhaps we simply need to show her where we are, then," Severus said thoughtfully.

* * *

As was typical of a Saturday before Hogsmeade, very few actually made it to breakfast. But after the last trip where she ended up in jam-packed stores thanks to having to wait until she had gotten there to eat, Lucky wasn't about to do that again. She piled up her plate then glanced at the end of the table, expecting copies of the _Veritable Wizard_ to be there waiting.

"I suppose they must be still working on it," Connie said, noticing the glance as she sat down beside her. "Dale and the others never did make it to the Owl Room last night."

"Eh, forget it. It's not like it's important," Lucky shrugged.

"Personally, I think the only reason you want it is for a shield anyhow. You have been very quiet in the last couple of days, Lucky," Connie sighed, earning yet another freezing look in response.

"Can we just concentrate on the trip and just pretend we're not even goin' to this school for a day?" Lucky complained.

"Sure, if that's what you want," Connie agreed, glancing up briefly. "I need to take care of something real quick. I'll be right back."

"Fine by me," Lucky shrugged, rather glad to have a moment alone with her food. But the moment didn't last long, for Ambrose suddenly appeared kneeling on the bench beside her with a rolled up paper in hand.

"Here, Lucky! Fresh off the presses," Ambrose said cheerfully. "I saved this one especially for you. We haven't started handing them out yet."

"You're gonna be late for the bus at this rate," Lucky complained. "What took you guys so long?"

"Oh, well, it's on account of the fact that Madame Mirth decided to change her column to include another letter at the last minute," Ambrose explained. "Not that anyone minded staying over to do it, I mean, if it helps someone out and all."

"Since when does that advice column do anything but give common sense answers or tell jokes?" Lucky snorted.

"Well, sometimes people don't listen to common sense," Ambrose explained. "Anyhow, I gotta go. See you in a few minutes."

"Just don't be late," Lucky sighed.

"Well, hopefully it won't be," Ambrose said, leaving the paper in front of her. In fact, he put it on her breakfast.

Lucky sighed in annoyance and brushed the egg off the back of the paper, scowling when she saw that the animated crossword puzzle (which changed the placement of certain words to make it more 'interesting') had been completely ruined. Scowling in annoyance, Lucky pulled open the paper, wondering what exactly had compelled Madame Mirth to change her column, partially hoping and partially dreading that it might have been her letter. The moment she found the column, both of those feelings took hold as she saw indeed it was her letter. It was also the only letter presented in the column that week.

_Dear Madame Mirth;_

_The last few years have been really bad for me. In fact, they've gone from bad to worse, with no end in sight. Every time I think I might see a way out, something else happens and it comes crashing down on me, and more of it is piling up all the time. Lately I can't get by a day without something bad happening, and I guess I'm finally figuring out the past is one trap I can't escape from. I don't want to live like this anymore, and I am sick of fighting a losing battle. Everyone seems to be working against me, digging on every wound. I just want it to stop, but I feel like I'm running out of options. I was hoping things would be better when I came here, but nothing seems to be better at all. No one understands me here, and I don't know where to go anymore. Please help._

_Signed, Nowhere to Turn._

_Dear Nowhere to Turn; Turn Around. ~Madame Mirth_

Lucky stared at the newspaper completely baffled for a moment, trying to figure out what in hell it was supposed to mean. Surely it couldn't be meant literally, Lucky thought, snorting softly at the notion, but it was then that she realized that the Great Hall seemed to be strangely quiet. Feeling very awkward and a little silly, Lucky glanced over her shoulder, and was so surprised but what she saw that she knocked off her plate as she jumped to her feet. For standing behind her and spread out in three rows stood all fifteen members of the Order of the Owl, her five brothers and sisters, as well as Rose, Francis, and Ben, and along the back, the entire Hogwarts staff, including a teary-eyed Jennifer and a solemn Severus standing center in the back row. But standing in front of them all was Ambrose, gazing at her with an unusually serious expression.

"I didn't know what to write you back, Lucky, so I hope this'll do," Ambrose said apologetically, a wide range of emotions crossing the girl's face. "But you have a lot of people here you can turn to and who want to listen, even if you don't think we can understand, we do care, and we don't want you to feel like you have no one to turn to. We all want to help. So pick somebody. Anybody. It doesn't matter to us who you choose, but you've gotta talk to somebody, Lucky!" Ambrose said pleadingly.

Lucky took a few deep breaths to keep her emotions in check, despite the fact she knew that Jackie and Aurelius was bound to see what she was really going through in that moment. She gazed fixedly at Ambrose, who looked back at her with an expression strangely resolute for his age, and somehow quite familiar. But she knew she couldn't burden her best friend with what she had been going through… definitely not at his age. It was also not something she wanted to go to her new family with, despite their knowing more than anyone else. Lucky's eyes then glanced searchingly at the back row past Severus, Hermione, and Boulderdash until they landed on a pair of violet ones. Danny waited a moment to make certain the girl's gaze didn't falter, and then smiled thinly and stepped forward.

"How about coming to my office for some Danish or something, Lucky? Considering that your breakfast didn't seem to make it," Danny suggested.

"Will it come with coffee?" Lucky asked.

"I'm sure something can be arranged," Danny said with amusement, waiting for Lucky to step over to her side before the two walked to the back.

"A rather odd choice, wasn't it? Considering?" Dirk mused, wondering why a Gryffindor would chose the head of Slytherin House.

"On the contrary, I think it's a brilliant choice," Jennifer said, her relief apparent in the tone of her voice.

"The girl has a very sensible head on her shoulders," Boulderdash agreed.

"Yes, but what was it that got Lucky so upset to make her write such a letter?" Laura asked.

"That is best told by Fortuna, Miss Lupin, and in her own time and in her own way," Severus said firmly, making eye contact with the rest of the Owls as well.

"We wouldn't do or say anything that'd upset Lucky, Professor. At least, not on purpose," Lindsay said, while Gary felt uncomfortable and looked at his feet.

"Perhaps you can help most just by remembering that, and encouraging those around you to do the same," Severus advised. "Perhaps we can even arrange that to be a secondary overall goal of yours."

"Can you make a goal out of minding one's own business?" Boulderdash chuckled.

"As a matter of fact, for some of us, I can see that as a very good goal," Severus said, and although Severus was gazing over at Boulderdash, Jennifer blinked when she realized that everyone else on staff was looking at her.

"What?" Jennifer said innocently.

"Perhaps we'd all better get ready for Hogsmeade," Hermione said quickly.

"Good idea," Severus agreed, dismissing the students with a shooing movement of the hand, and they all started breaking off into groups. Dale lingered behind to have a quick word with Jennifer, and after receiving a baffled expression, had a quick word with Ben as well before calling out to Ambrose.

"Think she's going to be all right now?" Dale asked when he caught up with Ambrose and Delia at the door.

"I hope so," Ambrose sighed as they continued to walk out to the courtyard. "Professor Snape seemed to be pretty sure it'd help."

"I'm sure it will then, if Professor Snape thinks so," Delia said. "In any case, it's rather out of our hands now, isn't it?"

"Out of the hands of Madame Mirth now, at any rate," Ambrose agreed.

"So you were Madame Mirth this entire time, Ambrose?" Delia asked with surprise, and then rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I should have guessed before."

"Now, let's not be spreading that around, Delia. I'd hate to have to replace him because that got to be public knowledge," Dale warned.

"Oh, don't worry about me. It'll just be our little secret," Delia assured them on the way out the door.


	22. Dilemmas

_A/N Rough week for me, and another one to come, so sorry about the delays on the updates. I'll send ya two chapters this weekend to make up for it, though. Enjoy! _

Chapter Twenty-Two

Dilemmas

"Do you see anything?" Winnie asked as she, Veronica and Elizabeth waited by a brick wall. On the other side of it, Ambrose cupped his hands against the glass and looked inside the shop.

"No, it doesn't look like he's back yet," he said with obvious disappointment. As he stepped back through the brick wall, he could see the three girls were disappointed as well. "I really was hoping he'd be back by now."

"Well, look, he did say he'd be back before Christmas. We're sure to get back here during the holidays to see him, and you live here, Ambrose," Winnie pointed out.

"It's going to make for another boring trip here, though," Beth sighed.

"Maybe not," Veronica said. "Look, we still have a bit of Christmas shopping to do, and we can run by Honeydukes and see if they have some interesting candy we can use to put into the cookies for the bake sale."

"That's a marvelous idea!" Winnie agreed. "Can we stop by the apothecary and visit my Uncle Corey first? I might be able to talk him out of a few sickles."

"All right. I need to go see my Mum anyhow," Ambrose sighed.

"Is she good for a few sickles as well?" Veronica asked.

"Depends if Professor Craw beats us there or not," Ambrose said.

"In that case, let's take our time," Veronica grinned, the others chuckling as they wandered down the street towards Corey's shop.

As they neared the shop, Ambrose saw a familiar figure standing beside the building. She was perhaps fifteen, tall and lithe with a long single braid that fell down her back practically to her knees. The braid slid to the side as the girl peered around the corner of the building, watching the crowds of students go by.

"Who's that girl? I've never seen her before," Beth said.

"I have," Ambrose said, and walked over to her. "Nancy?" The girl turned around with a startled expression on her face, exhaling sharply when she recovered.

"Ambrose," Nancy said, glancing at the shop nervously.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Please don't tell anyone you've seen me," Nancy said worriedly.

"Who would we tell?" Veronica asked with a shrug.

"This is Nancy Parker, one our neighbors," Ambrose said. "She goes to the Haven Ridge School down the street."

"Where have I heard that name before?" Beth asked.

"How can you not know that name?" Veronica snorted. "Nancy Parker is the name of Dirk's pen pal. He talks about her all the time." Beth's eyes widened.

"But that's not right! Dirk says his pen pal is somewhere in Ireland and from a pure bred family! This girl's obviously a Muggle!" Beth said in surprise. The other three students hushed her and Nancy pleaded with her to keep her voice down as Ambrose pulled them further back off the road.

"I know that I've told him all sorts of things about my background I probably oughtn't have," Nancy said with a sigh. "But from the first letter I received from him, I didn't think my being a Muggle would go over so well, so I… embellished my life… slightly."

"Dirk's too good of a wizard to fall for that sort of thing," Beth argued. "He should have been able to tell you weren't one of us in a shot."

"Beth!" Winnie frowned warningly.

"Well, it isn't as if I don't know your world. I did grow up in Hogsmeade, you know," Nancy said defensively. "We learn basic Herbology and how to use potions in school, so I just stuck with what I know, and he just thinks that's the fields I'm interested in. But we don't really write about all of that, not much. We write about more important things. We're a lot alike," she explained, while Beth and Veronica exchanged dubious glances. "Anyway, I just wanted to know what he looked like, that's all. It's rather nice to have a face to put to a name. Can you help me, Ambrose?"

"All right," Ambrose agreed. "And don't worry, we won't tell him who you are."

"Thank you," Nancy said sincerely. "Are you sure he came today?"

"Oh, he came," Veronica snorted. "In fact, more than likely he's following Schroeder around so he can lick his boots."

"Oh, yes, I've heard all about him. Dirk can't stand him," Nancy said with a nod. Beth snickered.

"Maybe you should keep anything he's told you about his house members quiet," Beth suggested.

"Maybe we ought to keep everything quiet," Ambrose said as he paused on the main street. "Because there they are, heading for the Sports Shop from the looks of it."

"Which one is he?" Nancy said anxiously when she saw a rather large group of seventh year Slytherin with one student trailing behind them carrying several parcels.

"That's him," Ambrose said, pointing to the one in the back, sheepishly remembering Veronica's comments about bootlicking.

"Really?" Nancy said, her face lighting up. "Wow, he's gorgeous!"

"Well, he is cute, but he's also from a nice family," Beth said.

"So?" Nancy said.

"What she means is, if he had any clue you were a Muggle, he wouldn't give you the time of day," Winnie explained.

"You don't think he's really that shallow, do you?" Nancy said anxiously. "I mean, maybe he'd be okay with it…"

"I'm sure she's right. I'm sure he wouldn't be," Veronica agreed.

"Let's go over there," Ambrose decided and started forward. Nancy grabbed on his arm, terrified.

"I can't go over there! What if they're right?" she said.

"I'm not going to tell him who you really are," Ambrose said. "Besides, wouldn't you like to see him up close?" Nancy hesitated a moment, looking at the group of boys going into the shop and back at Ambrose.

"Fine, but let's wait until they come back out. The shop keepers know me here," Nancy said.

"Good point," Ambrose agreed, and the five of them wandered over in front of the shop.

"I feel rather silly just standing here without any bags," Winnie said, gazing over at the apothecary thoughtfully. "Wow, Corey's shop looks packed today, doesn't it?"

"Everything is going to be packed today, being our last trip before the holidays," Beth said.

"Do you suppose they'll be in there long?" Nancy asked nervously.

"Probably," Veronica admitted. "They'll be in there too busy trying to outspend each other for bragging rights to even care what they're purchasing."

"Why would they do that?" Nancy asked.

"They're Slytherin. It's what they do," Winnie said, earning dirty looks from Veronica and Beth. "Someone's coming out."

"Already?" Nancy asked anxiously, watching as Dirk stepped out with a girl with light blonde hair.

"Oh, it's the other bootlicker, Bindy Carr," Veronica snorted. "Bet they got sent out to run errands for the seventh years."

"Dirk!" Ambrose called out and waved as they passed by where they were standing. Dirk paused and said something to Bindy before walking over. Bindy followed curiously behind him, gazing at the group skeptically.

"Hullo, Ambrose. If you have any order business, I'm afraid I don't have time for any of that today. Can't it wait until our next meeting or something?" Dirk asked.

"Oh, sure! I just wanted you to meet a friend of mine, is all. This is… Sue. She goes to Haven's Ridge," Ambrose explained.

"Hello," Nancy said with an anxious grin, and Dirk gave her a curt nod, glancing quizzically at Ambrose and wondering what the point was.

"Oh, really, Dirk, don't we have better things to do than mingle with such riffraff? They're waiting on us, you know," Bindy said, eyeing the girl with open dislike.

"Sorry, Ambrose, but we really are in a rush," Dirk said. "Some other time perhaps," he added, Bindy grimacing at him for even saying that much as the two of them walked away.

"Well, that's Dirk in a nutshell, I'd say," Veronica said.

"I suppose I ought to be grateful he didn't know who I was," Nancy sighed.

"Don't worry so much about what Bindy said, Nancy," Beth said. "She'd say that to anyone she thought was pretty than her, whether they were Muggle or not."

"Well, thank you for helping me meet him at least," Nancy said with a sigh. "You won't tell him who I was, will you?"

"No one could pay me enough to tell him that he has Muggle pen pal," Veronica said fervently, and Beth nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

"Don't worry, we won't tell, Nancy," Winnie said, and the girl smiled at them and hurried off, half jogging as she tried to get off the main streets as quickly as possible.

"You know, I rather feel sorry for that girl," Veronica said as they turned for the apothecary. "She seems a bit gone on him, doesn't she?"

"So is Dirk to hear him talk," Beth agreed. "I wonder what's going to happen when he finds out?"

"You're not going to tell him, are you?" Ambrose frowned.

"No, but it's only a matter of time, isn't it?" Beth said, opening the door so they could go inside.

But going in proved to be easier said than done, for inside, it was packed with locals, the majority of which seemed to carrying small strangely iridescent apples with lovely gold and green hues.

"What is all this about?" Ambrose asked in surprise.

"Oh! Ambrose, look at the apple barrel over here! The Fae Apple tree must have finally born fruit!" Winnie said excitedly. Curiously, the other girls pushed their way over to the barrel as well. Veronica peered at a large sign staked in the basket thoughtfully.

"'Terran Fae Apples. Feel ten years younger! Hybrid apple, perfectly safe to consume even it its raw state. One per customer, age twenty and older,'" Veronica read. "An age limit? For apples? And look at the price!"

"Well, if I were twenty, I'm not sure I'd want to feel like I'm ten," Beth chuckled.

"But this doesn't make sense. I thought these were very dangerous," Ambrose said, the other girls looking at him curiously. "We spoke about these in Potions this year. Fae Apples are inundated with wild magic, so much so that eating one normally binds you to the spot you've first eaten them, just like cursed faerie food. They're also rather addictive. Some complex formulas use a distilled juice from them as a catalyst, but only a few droplets, because it's very potent and very expensive, not to mention quite rare. I thought that's what Rose was breeding it for."

"If it's rare, how did she get it?"

"My niece found a seed in Mr. Toby's shop. Fae Apples have a pit like a peach rather than small seeds, so it was easy for her to grab," Ambrose explained, trying to see look through the crowd to see if he could see Corey.

"Oh, so that's where it came from!" Winnie said, then laughed. "I should have guessed it came out of that shop. Ambrose, are you sure they're dangerous? I don't think Uncle Corey would sell them that way if it was."

"Well, I'm going to find out, because it looks like he's over in the far corner talking to Professor Craw now," Ambrose said, putting his hands together and out in front of him as if attempting to get in the crowd, the other girls following close behind.

"Really you have nothing to worry about, Mom," Corey was saying when Ambrose finally made his way over to them. "These weren't bred from Otherworld trees at all, they're a hybrid that Toby came up with 'ages ago,' whatever that means in his terms," he chuckled. "We had all sorts of reassurances from him, although he did recommended that we limit how often people can get them to prevent any addictive affect. Honestly, I would have had to limit the amount anyhow, considering we only got two barrels off the crop, and we aren't likely to get any more until next year."

"I hope you're not acting completely on Toby's word, Corey," Jennifer said quietly, frowning with concern as she gazed at him searchingly.

"Of course not, Mum," Corey reassured her, and then raised his voice a bit as he lifted a flap in the counter and went back on the other side of it. "In fact, Rose and I have been experimenting with them for a while now. I wouldn't offer them if I didn't think they were safe."

"Will they really make me ten years younger?" asked an elderly witch, gazing at the apple skeptically.

"Oh no, nothing like that, Mrs. Mayfield. They don't actually make you younger, they only make you _feel _younger," Corey assured her. "They help give you a better quality of life and help prevent those minor coughs and aches and pains that come up. In some people, it even seems to help them look younger too, isn't that right, Mom?" he added quickly, gazing at her with a wide smile. Jennifer's eyes went momentarily wide and she blinked, quickly recovering as she saw that all of his customers' eyes were on her.

"Oh, yes!" Jennifer said, pushing her spectacles hard onto her nose. "Yes, of course! In fact, I've been helping Corey experiment with them for awhile now, haven't I?"

"Get me one," Jennifer heard someone mutter right behind her, and Jennifer felt a wave of guilt as there was a sudden run for the basket.

"Don't forget, one per customer! The effect lasts a long time, so you shouldn't need another until next harvest," Corey assured them.

"It's too bad we can't try them!" Ambrose said enthusiastically from right behind her.

"So we'll have to put you back in diapers?" Winnie teased.

"I'm sure none of you need any apples," Corey chuckled.

"No, but we could use some Honeydukes money," Winnie chimed in. "Can I borrow some sickles and work it off in labor later?"

"I should have known," Corey said with a sigh, quickly paying them off so they would get out of his shop.

"Corey, I'm not all that sure you should have said that," Jennifer murmured once the students were safely away.

"Why not?" Corey said in a quiet voice. "It does help some people look younger according to Mr. Toby, not that I could test that part of it," he admitted, obviously amused by Jennifer's not-so-amused expression. "Besides, I think the fact it could easily explain why we look so young is the whole reason Toby decided to add it to the shop in the first place, don't you? Have an apple," he added holding one out to her. She sighed with exasperation, debating whether or not to take it. "Well, you don't want to look like a liar, do you, Mom?"

"Fine, but you owe me," Jennifer said. She took the apple and met Corey's wide grin with a disapproving smile before walking out of the shop, munching on the apple.

She wandered next door to the dress shop, ignoring some of the people who had noticed what she was eating and shaking their heads. Apparently word had already gotten around, she thought with annoyance, seeking the sanctity of Bailey's Boutique. But when she went in, she saw only a few girls wandering about and looking and no one behind the counter. Questioningly, she glanced around, making eye contact with Winnie, who had watched her arrive.

"She's in the back talking to Ambrose, Professor," Winnie said quietly.

"What? Now?" Jennifer frowned, glancing at the door thoughtfully. "I swear, when it rains it pours around here, doesn't it?" she sighed, and Winnie emphatically agreed, despite the fact that Jennifer had been mostly saying it to herself.

"Married?" Ambrose repeated in a distant tone. Ashley glanced at her son searchingly. He didn't seem surprised at all, but he also didn't seem much at ease with the idea either. "Why would you want to get married for?"

"Oh, well, there are a lot of reasons to get married, Ambrose," Ashley chuckled gently. "You know, I raised Rose all by herself, and there were times when I felt that she was at a disadvantage growing up, having only one parent. I had to be the mother and the father all rolled into one, and lately… well, lately, I've come to realize that I don't want you to have to grow up the same way. Just think, we can be a whole family at last, Ambrose! You'll have a real home, not a flat above a shop, and someone you can call father."

"I don't want someone I can call father, Mum. I want to know who my real one is," Ambrose said.

"But Ambrose, this is a father you can know, and will stick around and be there for you no matter what the problem is," Ashley said, holding onto his hand. "I know what sort of pressure you've been under at school, Ambrose. What they've been saying…"

"What do you mean you know what they've been saying?" Ambrose frowned.

"I asked around after the fight you had in the Grove, if you must know," Ashley said quietly, and Ambrose got to his feet, horrified.

"Don't listen to them, Mum! It's none of their business, and it doesn't matter what they think! Really, I hope you're not getting married because of that!" Ambrose said.

"Of course not, Ambrose, not just because of that. I want to get married because I want you to have a real family, not just one old woman in a shop."

"I like my family the way it is now. I don't want a father!" Ambrose said.

"You've wanted a father since you've been old enough to walk," Ashley said with a knowing smile.

"Only my own," Ambrose said firmly. Ashley gazed at him until she couldn't stand the look in his eyes any more and pulled him into a tight hug.

* * *

Ambrose and his friends were well on their way back to their houserooms when Jennifer slipped up to the gym, creeping over to the doorway to peek inside.

"Fist down, Lucky, must I always remind you of that when you take your stance?" Boulderdash sighed.

"I like going into a fight ready," Lucky shrugged, but relaxed her hand. "Hit first, an' hopefully they won't be able to hit back."

"Yes, I'm aware of that sort of mentality, Lucky, my race has followed such a philosophy for years," Boulderdash snarled. "But what happens if the first blow is dodged? Try to hit me now. Let's see how far you get."

"Ya right, I'm not that stupid," Lucky snorted. "You'll just dodge it and I'll find myself with my backside on the mat again."

"So you're learning something after all," Boulderdash sneered. "Shall we try again from the beginning?"

Jennifer smiled softly to herself and began to creep back down the corridor, but then hesitated when she saw John Carnegie leaning against a wall near the stairwell with a watch in hand, preparing to burst in the moment the second hand made its way around again.

"John," Jennifer said, walking over.

"Professor Craw," John said cordially, nodding and looking at his watch again.

"Can't you let it go just this once?" Jennifer pleaded quietly, worried they'd be overheard.

"Now, a deal is a deal, Professor. The green bookworm knows the rules as well as myself…"  
"I'm not asking for him, John, I'm asking for Lucky's sake. Just this once?" she pleaded.

"And once there's a once, they'll soon be a twice, and on until I find my time completely taken over an' I'll be back to doin' pushups in the cistern an' hoping my nose is below the water line," John said. Jennifer sighed and shook her head with a smile, not buying the exaggeration for a moment. "And exactly what would be in it for me if I look the other way for the lass?"

"You're asking for a bribe?" Jennifer tsked.

"Well, if you're not agreeable, I'll just be off, since it's now past his time and into mine…"

"Fine, what do you want?" Jennifer sighed.

"A trip to London to run some errands on my behalf?" John inquired.

"Fine, done, it'll give me a chance to do some shopping of my own before Lucky comes home for the holidays anyhow," Jennifer sighed.

"In that case, you have a deal then, but only this once, now. I s'pose I had better just run down and make sure that all me assassination requests are off my errand list before I Owl it to you."

"Yes, very amusing, John," Jennifer said, shaking her head disapprovingly before following him to the main stairwell. But he had stopped short and was staring at them, for the lower staircase had swung away and the ones leading up had a very distinct pattern to them.

"I'm guessing that would not be for me," John chuckled.

"I suppose I was dawdling a bit," Jennifer said, and began to climb the stairs. She had barely stepped onto the next landing when the stairs below her began to correct themselves, so John put his watch away and walked down the one that had settled into place after her departure. Jennifer hurried up, unsurprised to find all the doors open when she reached the fifteenth floor and Severus sitting at his desk. "Good evening, Severus! We're back!"

"You've been back," Severus said knowingly, tapping the map on the table. "How is Lucky?"

"Better I think," Jennifer said, allowing herself to sink into her favorite chair tiredly. "Boulderdash is busy trying to wear her out in the gym again, but she seemed more relaxed when I caught a glimpse of her face. I think this morning's rally really made an impact on her, Severus. That was a brilliant idea of yours. She truly seems to have realized how many people care about her now. I think this'll mark a turning point for her."

"Her asking for help was the real turning point, Jennifer, regardless of what I think of her choice in methods," Severus said, the sat down his quill in annoyance. "What do you suppose was going through Hermione's head, allowing Ambrose to take on such a task as running an advice column? Did you know about that?"

"Oh, well, yes, Severus, I've caught him thinking about it in class on occasion, actually," Jennifer admitted with a smile.

"And once again you decided not to tell me," he said, rapping his fingers against the desk.

"I didn't think it was any of my business, Severus," Jennifer said. Severus stared at her. "You did say you wanted me to work on minding my own business."

"Anything that happens in this school is my business," Severus said firmly.

"Yes, that's true, Severus, but if isn't my business, do I really have the right to tell you about it?" Jennifer asked.

"When it has anything to with the school, you have the responsibility to tell me regardless," Severus said, rather annoyed by her toying smile. "You are head of security, after all, as you seem to point out often enough when it suits you… not that this is a matter of any consequence, but I still want you to keep me informed."

"Of course, Severus," Jennifer said with a nod. "I will do my best to keep you informed of anything that you feel is security business."

"Jennifer, as head of security, everything that happens in this school is your business," he said with exasperation.

"Might I get that in writing?" Jennifer asked sweetly. Severus checked himself, realizing quite suddenly just how far Jennifer would take such an admission. He thought over the conversation carefully before staring at her accusingly.

"Why, you manipulative witch! You deliberately baited me into saying something that you knew I'd regret saying and that you could use against me later!" Severus said, completely aghast.

"Now, Severus, be reasonable," Jennifer tsked. "I'd never try to manipulate a headmaster of this school."

"No, you certainly wouldn't," Severus snapped, getting up and throwing the curtains back and opening the sitting room door. "In."

"In?" Jennifer repeated.

"That was a personal assault, not a professional one, so I am not about to deal with it in here. In," he ordered, pointing at the door.

"What assault?" Jennifer asked innocently.

"You deliberately baited me!" Severus said.

"Yes, and what's more you fell right into it," Jennifer said with a soft laugh. "I really think you're losing your touch, Severus. That's what you get for letting your guard down, you got what you deserved," she said, waggling a finger at him playfully.

"You deserve to be spanked," he retorted.

"Resorting to threats now, are we? I think I'll stay here then," Jennifer said, making a play at getting comfortable in her chair.

"Oh, will you," Severus said dangerously, uncuffing his wand. Just then, Jennifer felt her chair pick up its legs and held on in surprise as it suddenly ran towards the door but stopped short, dumping her into the sitting room in the process. Jennifer quickly scrambled to her feet to see that Severus had already stepped over to block the doorway. "You have one chance to surrender," he said calmly.

"Never! I don't believe in surrender," Jennifer said defiantly.

"All the better," Severus said with a sinister smile, closing the door as Jennifer dove for cover.


	23. Stealing the Spotlight

_And here's your second chapter for the weekend. Enjoy! JCWriter_

Chapter Twenty-Three

Stealing the Spotlight

The tedious week of reviews was quickly upon them, dampening the restless spirits of both students and staff despite the necessity, for their thoughts had turned towards the approaching winter holiday. Ambrose waited impatiently for classes to break for lunch, for he had seen no sign of Lucky all weekend and was very much hoping to catch her then. But she was not in the Great Hall when he came in, and it wasn't long before he realized that she wasn't coming. After taking only a few bites, he excused himself and went to the library. But when he opened the door to the Owl Room and peered in, he was disappointed to see only two students were there; Laura was trying to help Dale prepare for a test.

"Have you seen Lucky?" Ambrose asked.

"She hasn't been in here. Try asking Connie," Laura suggested. Ambrose sighed and backed out of the room, but by the time he got back to the Great Hall, Connie wasn't there either. Mondays meant Ancient Runes, but now that Lucky didn't take that anymore, he was just going to have to wait for dinner to meet up with her. It didn't help that Professor Snape was one of the few teachers that decided to give them new material instead of a review, and Ambrose had to concentrate on what was going on instead of getting lost in his own thoughts as he had been doing in other classes.

"Do you suppose he's planning on giving us homework over the holidays?" Delia asked when they came out of the class.

"From the tone of that lecture, I'd say count on it," Reggie snorted. "I'm glad I didn't have to take Defense this year. From what I'm hearing, everyone's going to have homework over the holiday in all of Snape junior's classes as well."

"Anyone coming to the Owl Room for dinner?" Ambrose asked.

"I will if you are," Delia said.

"Not me, I'm going to eat in the Great Hall," Reggie said. "See you guys later."

"If you see Lucky, will you ask her to come meet us?" Ambrose asked.

"Sure," Reggie said with a shrug before walking off in the opposite direction, taking the front stairs as the other two opted for the back ones. Reluctantly, Ambrose went back to the library, but Lucky didn't appear at all that evening, nor did Boulderdash.

By the next day at breakfast, Ambrose was truly getting frustrated, walking over to Connie who was sloppily attempting to roll up her breakfast in her toast.

"Connie, where's Lucky?"

"She left early this morning to have breakfast with Professor Aurelius, I think," Connie said. Ambrose frowned.

"Do you know if she's going to be here at lunch?"

"Think she's having lunch with Professor Andrew. I wouldn't count on dinner either," she added. "I think she has something going with Boulderdash again. Why don't you just talk to her during class? It's not like you don't see her there."

"It's not like I can always talk to her in class, either," Ambrose pointed out. "And she has Arithmantics this morning."

"Well, class is your best bet," she advised, attempting to get her hands around her messy sandwich. Ambrose sighed and wandered back over his own table, nibbling at a piece of toast.

Ambrose decided then his best bet was to catch up with her in between classes, but even then proved to be problematic, for she always managed to beat him to class. It also didn't help that their names were at opposite sides of the alphabet now, and for the first time since she was adopted, Ambrose found himself wishing her last name was still Conejo. But finally it was time for Potions, and Ambrose ran as fast as he could down the stairs only to find Lucky waiting at their table and looking through notes.

"There you are! How do you keep getting to class ahead of me?" Ambrose said with exasperation.

"I've learned a few shortcuts lately," Lucky shrugged.

"I've been wanting to talk to you since the Hogsmeade trip. How have you been?" Ambrose asked. Lucky thought about it a moment.

"Better," she said at last. "Thanks," she added almost as an afterthought, but Ambrose knew it was for more than just his inquiring about her.

"All right everyone," Professor Craw said as she entered the classroom from her office. "Everyone get settled, we have a busy day! We're done with labs until your last test before the holidays, so it's time to do an inventory of our kits as well as assess any ingredients that might have lost freshness and need to be replaced before we resume in January. Then we get to start on reviews, as thrilling as that is," Craw joked with a grin when several students let out groans in anticipation of the work ahead of them. But the workload involved made the class go by quite quickly, and before long Craw was advising them to finish copying the notes on the board and pick up their stuff.

"So what are your plans tonight, Lucky? Wanna have dinner in the library?" Ambrose asked.

"I already made other plans. Maybe some other time, Bill," Lucky said, getting up.

"Will you at least stop by? I wanted to ask your advice about something," Ambrose said.

"What, from me? You're the expert at that, _chico,_" Lucky chuckled. "And not so bad at it for a kid."

"Thanks, I guess," Ambrose said, watching as she packed up her books and walked out of the room.

"Ambrose, can I talk to you for a moment?" Professor Craw asked. Ambrose looked up to see that she had been watching the exchange carefully, smiling when he met her gaze. He sighed and walked over to the desk, while she paused long enough for the remainder of the students to wander out. "There's no need to worry about Lucky's behavior, Ambrose, she has quite a safety net around her. It's just that she really needs to work some things out right now and… well, it's important that she concentrate taking care of herself right now."

"Yeah. I understand. I was just hoping she'd be around more to talk over some things," Ambrose said carefully.

"She'll be ready when she's ready," Jennifer said gently. "Although I imagine she'll be helping with the bake sale this weekend, won't she? I'm sure you'll see her then. In the meantime, if there's anything bothering you and need someone to talk to, I'd be happy to set some time aside for you."

"No, it's all right. I guess I have some things I need to work out for myself too," Ambrose decided with a sigh, turning to get his books.

"Well, all right, but don't hesitate to come to me if you change your mind," Jennifer said, watching the boy go.

"I wonder," she murmured to herself, glancing at a painting on the wall distractedly before slipping into her office.

Ambrose wandered into the Owl Room just after his last class to find it vacant except for Dale, who lifted his nose from his books long enough to see who had come in.

"Oh, hello, Ambrose. I don't suppose you'd be interested in helping me study for my Ancient Magic exam?" Dale asked.

"Exam? But I thought he said to expect a regular class on Friday. Don't we have a week and a half?"

"Not me. I have it after class on Friday because I have to leave early," Dale sighed. "I have all my tests on Friday and Monday, leaving Tuesday. My father cited 'religious reasons,' but even the Headmaster knows it's because we have a tight recording session for our single since we're doing the children's charity event this year," he explained. Ambrose grinned and sat down beside him. "Anyone outside of the Owls ask you about the Madame Mirth thing yet?"

"No… why, are you expecting them to?" Ambrose asked with a frown.

"As much as I love the order, if there's one thing there's no shortage of this year is a lot of loud mouths," Dale chuckled. "It's a matter of time, I'm afraid. People have been asking about what exactly we were doing with the staff in the Great Hall last weekend. You may be better off stepping down if we want to keep that column going."

"What? But I love doing the column! It's fun… well, mostly," Ambrose said. "And I've been doing a good job. Even the Headmaster had to admit that."

"The Headmaster only admitted that you had a good sense for when to ask for help," Dale grinned. "Although I imagine saying that was his way of thanking you for letting him know about Lucky," he said, growing somber.

"I haven't seen her short of class all week," Ambrose sighed.

"Yes, well, that I'm not so worried about. I've had more than one occasion I've needed to lay low in the public eye," Dale chuckled. Ambrose grew more intent.

"But why would anyone do that?" Ambrose asked.

"Well, I can hardly guess what's been bothering Lucky lately, but I myself tend to lay low either when I do something extraordinarily stupid in front of others, or the wrong person gets a hold of some personal information that I don't want them to know about," Dale said.

"That last part sounds like Lucky," Ambrose sighed. Dale nodded.

"Well, the best thing to do in either case is to wait until someone else has stolen the spotlight to the point that you know that nobody is going to notice you anymore," Dale chuckled.

"Really?" Ambrose said. "Hey, maybe we can do that! I mean, maybe Madame Mirth can do that!" Dale blinked at him. "After all, you said it's all going to come out now anyway, right?"

"Ambrose, you are brilliant," Dale said with a grin. "And I would say that even if you weren't ten. I'm pretty sure we can arrange something like that."

"Good, because I really need to talk to her about something," Ambrose said emphatically. Dale paused, gazing at him steadily.

"Come to think of it, you have been moping about a lot this week, haven't you? What's up?" Dale asked. Ambrose grew quiet. "Oh, come on, I've got two ears, and I can give you Lucky's opinion on any subject if you like, although I'll spare you the accent…well, hers, anyway," he added, Ambrose grinning slightly. "Seriously, though, what's bothering you?" Ambrose mulled it over for a moment, but finally sighed in resignation.

"It's about my mother," Ambrose explained. "She's getting married, even as early as January, before we return to school."

"Really?" Dale said, then thought about it. "Oh, it's to that Dimple chap that's been hanging about her store on the last few trips, isn't it? She seems to be quite fond of him."

"Being fond of him isn't the same as being in love with him," Ambrose said defensively.

"Well, no, that's true," Dale said carefully. "But perhaps she is in love with him. She must be, if she's going to marry him."

"She isn't. At least, I'm pretty sure she isn't," Ambrose said. "I think she's just doing it because she thinks I need a father, and to stop people from saying stuff about it here at school. Somehow she found out what people have been saying."

"It hasn't been 'people,' Ambrose, it's only been those pesky twins," Dale said firmly. "And lately it's just been one of them, unless Mike's bothering you still?"

"No, actually, he isn't," Ambrose assured him. "I hardly see him when Cliff isn't in the room at night, and even then he spends most his free time in the common room instead of our room. He's been surprisingly nice, actually, though he does have an ego."

"Contrary to popular belief, I've seen a lot of Hufflepuffs lately with powerful egos," Dale chuckled. "Anyway, even if it was the whole school talking and not just Don, it still wouldn't be a good reason to get married. Surely there's more to it to that."

"Well, she did mention something about having a whole family and a house and a normal life and all that too," Ambrose said. "But I like my life as it is. And as much as I want Mum to be happy… well… I don't mind her married if that is what she really wants, but I don't think it's fair for her to give me a new father when nobody will tell me who my real father is! How can I?" Ambrose blurted out angrily. Dale gazed at him steadily. "I don't care what he's done or who he is! Why can't I know? I don't want her to get married until I know the truth!"

"You're right," Dale said evenly. "You're right, they shouldn't be expect you to accept this, and you do have the right to know the truth. It's holding you back rather than protecting you now, even though I do understand why the Professor has tried to keep it from you for so long…" Ambrose's jaw suddenly dropped and he stared into Dale's serious expression.

"You know who my father is!" Ambrose said accusingly, and Dale nodded. "Well, tell me!"

"I took an oath that I wouldn't," Dale said, and Ambrose began pulling at his hair with frustration.

"What is so awful that makes nobody willing to tell me!" Ambrose shouted, Dale hushing him softly.

"It's not awful, Ambrose, it's just a lot of responsibility."

"What am I, a prince or something?" he asked. Dale couldn't help but chuckle, quickly apologizing when he saw Ambrose's expression.

"No, nothing like that," Dale said, and Ambrose slumped again. "Look, I don't know what I can say to make this any easier, other than I think he'd be okay with Mrs. Bailey getting married…" he said, receiving an icy glare. Dale put an arm around him. "But if I were you, I would stick to my wand and refuse to have anything to do with this marriage unless she or the Professor tells you the truth. You are old enough to handle it. You do have the right to know. Tell her outright that you don't like it and you don't want anything to do with it until you know who your father is."

"I don't want upset her," Ambrose murmured.

"Well, from what little I know about your Mum, she'll be more upset over the fact that you're upset about it," Dale reassured him. "And if she knows you're upset, she is more likely to go against the Professor's wishes and tell you whether he likes it or not. Now, that was my response, do you want to hear Lucky's?"

"Will you end up getting a soapy mouth for it?" Ambrose asked carefully, knowing that she would have agreed with Dale. Dale simply chuckled.

"Probably," he admitted, and Ambrose grinned, nodding to himself before leaning over to see Dale's book.

* * *

Jennifer got up early that Saturday, completely unsurprised to find Severus already at his desk. Taking a deep breath and adjusting her spectacles on the tip of her nose, she strode in and set a coffee tray down.

"Not planning to work all day, I hope?" Jennifer inquired.

"No, I'm just making a few adjustments to my Ancient Magic test," Severus said evenly.

"I doubt Dale would spoil it, Severus," Jennifer tsked.

"It isn't that so much as how easily he passed it," Severus said, Jennifer looking quite amused by that. "After I'm finished, would you care to get out of the castle for awhile? Andrew is going to stay close to the castle today, so he can manage things here."

"Oh, but I can't. I promised to help your sister and the Order of the Owls prepare for the bake sale, remember?" Jennifer said, pouring herself some coffee. "Besides, you have an appointment in Myrkinbrek this afternoon as well." Severus blinked.

"What appointment?" Severus asked flatly.

"I thought I told you when I got back last night after running those errands. Didn't I mention it?" Jennifer asked. Severus squinted slightly. "I ran into Gritbiter, who was interested in getting with you about taking that old fountain out during the holidays. You did say you were thinking about having that done while the majority of students were away, didn't you?" Severus gazed at her searchingly.

"I did say that," Severus admitted. "Although you could have said something before making an appointment. I had hoped to take it easy today…"

"You'll have a whole week off coming up to do that, Severus. Really, you can't expect Gritbiter to wait any longer if you expect it to get done now," Jennifer said with exasperation.

"Very well, you do have a point, and I do have some errands to run in Myrkinbrek anyhow," Severus said. Jennifer looked over brightly, but Severus had quickly found a book to put in front of his face.

"All right, Severus," Jennifer chuckled, shaking her head as she went back towards the sitting room. "I know when to take a hint."

"Yes, so do I," Severus murmured dryly when she was out of the room, turning back to the test.

Just inside the door, Jennifer let out a sigh of relief and then cut through to exit the other door and out onto the ninth floor.

"One down, one more to go," Jennifer said to herself before hurrying towards the front stairs. She walked swiftly down them, pausing only long enough for one of the staircases to swing in range for her to hop over to it before impatiently making her way to the Defense Room, pushing her spectacles all the way up on her nose before knocking on Aurelius' open office door. "Good morning! What are you still doing here?" she teased. "No dark wizards or witches to catch?"

"Right now it seems that the most dangerous ones are here in the castle," Aurelius retorted. "What are you up to, Mum?"

"What makes you think I'm up to anything?" Jennifer said indignantly.

"You're always up to something, Mum," Aurelius said flatly. "And you have your spectacles up."

"Of course I do, silly! You know how close to the holidays we're getting," Jennifer tsked, while Aurelius gave her the same skeptical expression that Severus had given her a few moments before. "Actually, if you're not working today, I wonder if you can do me a small favor later on in the afternoon?"

"Here it comes," Aurelius sighed.

"Nothing like that!" Jennifer said with exasperation. "I simply wondered if you'd pick up a present for Lucky. It'll be harder to run errands when she gets home, especially since any time I want to go to the Muggle part of London for something she wants to tag along…"

"Muggle?" Aurelius repeated with a frown. "Can't you just get Alex to go to town for you?"

"Oh, she'll never be willing to run an errand on a weekend, Rel, you know how she gets about those kids," Jennifer said, fishing out a scrap of paper and looking it over. "This should have everything you need… er, wait, I need to put down a size," she said, swiftly grabbing a quill.

"Size? Lucky hates getting any present that has to be worn," Aurelius snorted.

"Well, I have had special reassurances from one of her order mates that this is exactly what she wants this year," Jennifer said, handing it to him. "Now, Aurelius, it has to be those, no substituting this year."

"And where am I going to find these?" Aurelius sighed.

"I don't know. Try Harrod's, they have everything," Jennifer shrugged.

"Harrods! I'd be in there all day!" Aurelius complained.

"Well, if you have a better idea of where to go, feel free to try. You know I don't get out there enough to know anywhere else. Oh, and here's another list of school supplies I need in case you pop by the Alley," Jennifer added, forcing it into his hand. "Now, I have to get going. Anna is waiting for me at the Popcorn Farm, and I need to help her get set up. Oh, and don't forget to stop by the bank first and get some of those Muggle bills too," she said, forcing a pouch in his other hand and ignoring the glare she got from him. "Have a good day, now!" she said and swiftly kissed his cheek before turning and whisking out the door with a triumphant smile on her face, while Aurelius stared after her still wondering what had just happened.

* * *

Lucky yawned expansively and then double-checked the list in front of her, shaking her head at the amount of ingredients they had put on the cart.

"So much for Aunt Anna's claims it was a well stocked kitchen," Lucky said grumpily.

"Well, I doubt she expected us all to go overboard like we did when it came to baking," Ambrose grinned at her. "Although even you have to admit Professor Craw is as bad as everyone else."

"Nah, she's worse," Lucky snorted, helping Ambrose push the cart out. "Ya know, I don't think we're gonna get these over the railroad tracks."

"Good point. Let me try that animation spell Professor Weasley taught us earlier this year," Ambrose suggested, taking out his wand. Concentrating with a scrunched up nose, he tapped it to the side of the cart and four humanlike legs began to appear, slowly standing and raising the cart off the ground.

"That is just disturbing, Bill," Lucky said flatly.

"Well, it worked, though, didn't it?" Ambrose said cheerfully. "Cart, follow!" he ordered, and the two of them began to walk down the hall. Lucky couldn't help but take a leery look back at it, but then sighed when she saw it was somehow managing to keep the cart level and wasn't knocking around the contents within it. "I hope this is the last of it. Zoë and your churros sure looked good! But I'm saving my knuts and sickles for the gingerbread."

"Ya, that's the one problem with this whole fundraiser," Lucky said. Ambrose looked at her curiously. "All this work we've put in today and all we're not gonna make more than a few galleons after we pay for the ingredients, because people aren't gonna pay much for a buncha cookies."

"Well, maybe not, but has been fun," Ambrose said. Lucky sighed. "Besides, we're charging for gift wrapping too, and Professor Hughes donated all that, so it'll be full profit there."

"Yeah, if you don't account for man-hours," Lucky snorted. Just then, she heard her name, and sighed when she saw it was Gary running over to them. "Oh, what do you want? Aren't you supposed to be decorating or something?"

"I was sent to see what was taking so long," Gary explained. "But I got distracted because of what I've been hearing in the halls. Ambrose, did you know Delia did an article on you in the paper about the Madame Mirth thing?"

"What?" Lucky exclaimed loudly, but Ambrose hushed her.

"Yeah, I know about it," Ambrose said. "See, it was me that gave her permission to tell everyone."

"Are you crazy?" Lucky shouted even louder, causing Ambrose to try to hush her again. "What kinda dirt she got on you that you'd agree to something like that?"

"None, Lucky! It was bound to come out anyway, so Dale and I thought it'd be better if it came out now. Delia was just helping because we all knew nobody'd blink if she said that sort of thing…"

"I shoulda known you didn't do this on your own! That idiot Chance, putting something on you like that!" Lucky said.

"For once I agree with Lucky," Gary said. "Everybody in the school is talking about it now. What's going to happen when those who had their letters answered find out they were answered by a little kid? They're gonna feel like they've been had or something…"

"You don't have to put it that way, it's not like I'm seven anymore," Ambrose said, feeling his ears grow warm. "They were told from the beginning that Madame Mirth was a student, after all, they knew it was just for fun."

"I didn't think it was just for fun," Lucky said. Ambrose turned to her, frowning.

"Are you mad at me too, Lucky?" he asked.

"No," Lucky sighed, pulling on his arm. "But I can understand why somebody else might be. Let's get you back out to the Popcorn Farm and out of the heat for a while. But first let's head to the journalism room, 'cuz I want to have a few words with your editor."

"Will those words involve broken teeth?" Gary asked with open interest.

"Could be," Lucky said darkly.

"But it's not Dale's fault! And stop dragging me around like a kid!" Ambrose protested, trying to wrestle free his arm.

"You are a kid," Lucky snapped at him. "Just because you're smart doesn't mean you don't need looking after sometimes, and this time, you are gonna do what I say so you don't get hurt."

"I know what I'm doing!" Ambrose shouted back, and this time it was Gary's turn to try and shush them. "And I'm tired of nobody listening to me!"

"Now look what you've done, Lucky, he's going to start blubbering for sure now," Gary sighed.

"Come on, Ambrose, stop acting like a baby and get this over with so we can get back to baking," Lucky said.

"No, let me go! Leave me alone!" Ambrose said, kicking her to try to get away, and might have grabbed his wand had they not been close enough to the journalism room that Dale poked his head out the door.

"What gives? Ambrose, I could have heard you a mile away, you'd all best get in here," Dale advised. "You too, Lucky."

"I got some words for you anyhow…"

"Fine, but out of the halls, before I'm forced to do my prefect bit," Dale warned.

"Go ahead, let's see what happens next," Lucky said.

"Here we go again," Gary sighed.

"And just where do you think you're going?" someone asked from down the hall, and Dale groaned softly as he turned to see Don Coventry standing there. "I demand an explanation on this whole Madame Mirth thing, Bailey."

"Oh, stuff it, Don, it's none of your business, and anything that was your business was already printed in the paper," Dale said.

"By who? That mouth Agate? Well, my father happens to subscribe to the school paper, and I'm sure he won't be impressed with the fact that the Headmaster let this under-aged freak of nature give advice out as if he were God or something…"  
"The Headmaster didn't know anything about it, Don," Dale snapped. "And when he did find out about it, he commended him for his common sense, which is something you seem to seriously lack in."

"Like you're one to talk! Common sense doesn't involve dating blonde Muggle bimbos just because they're more famous than you, no matter how impressive their knockers are…"

"I'll show you some impressive knocking," Lucky growled, Dale quickly holding her off.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Ambrose shouted, pulling his hair. "I am so sick of this fighting! It's the same thing over and over again and I can't take it anymore! I don't need defended!" he said, shouting at Lucky. "And I'm not going to let anybody pick on me just because they're bigger than me!" he shouted at Don. "And will everyone just please stop patronizing me? Why can't everyone just accept me for who I am? You just don't understand what it's like, do you? None of you talk to me like I'm another fourth year, and the ones that are close to my age…well, they don't understand what I'm talking about. Man, how I _wish_ just once that everyone around here knew what it was like to be me!"

Suddenly Ambrose felt an intense wave of dizziness, so much so that he had to close his eyes for a moment and fell to his knees, his head swimming from the pressure and wondering why no one was helping him up. He felt very tired too, curiously so, in a way that reminded him of that night he had stayed up all night with Lucky. Finally, in what seemed like hours but was actually a few seconds later, Ambrose looked up, and then had to blink. For leaning against the wall… and sitting on the ground… and standing up staring at his hands… and standing in front of him as pale as a sheet with clenched fists… stood four Ambrose Baileys.

"Uh oh," the real Ambrose finally got out.

"What…" the Ambrose who had been staring at his hands finally said, pausing when he heard Ambrose's voice coming out of his mouth. "What did you do to me? Change me back at once, or I'll tell father!"

"Lucky, do me a favor and clock him," said the sitting Ambrose.

"Now, let's just everyone stay calm," the leaning Ambrose said, standing up straight and gently trying to calm the Ambrose that still had his fists clenched, but he shrugged away in response. "Ambrose, why don't you try to reverse it?"

"I…I'm not sure how," Ambrose admitted.

"It's all right," the Dale Ambrose sighed.

"No it's not all right!" the Don Ambrose complained. "What the hell did you just do?"

"Look, it's a Transfiguration, right? So perhaps we had better go see Professor Andrew. Maybe he'll have some ideas. Until then, we should all stick together," the Dale Ambrose advised.

"Fine, because I am going to make sure he gets in trouble this time. You're not allowed to transfigure other students into anything… especially nothing this repulsive…"

"Don, do me a favor and shut up now, or I will clock you myself," the Dale Ambrose warned.

"I get to hold him down then," the Lucky Ambrose said darkly.

"Deal," the Dale Ambrose said. "Come on, let's go."

"What, this way? We're going to be a sight to see going up the main stairs," the Gary Ambrose complained.

"It's the fastest way to his office, and I think speed is a good idea in this case," the Dale Ambrose said.

"What's all that racket?" Ambrose asked quietly as they hurried up the hall. "Do you hear that?"

"Seems to be coming from the Great Hall," the Don Ambrose said grumpily.

"Yes, it does, doesn't it?" the Dale Ambrose said thoughtfully. "Hang on, let's cut over so I can get a quick peek in."

"Why? It doesn't concern us! I want to get changed back!"

"Shut up, Don," the Lucky Ambrose snapped. But he soon realized that hearing anything was going to be impossible as they got closer to the hall, because hundreds of high pitched voices were talking excitedly inside too loud and too many to make out what any of them were saying.

_ "Quietus mute!" _shouted the voice of Ambrose. Filled with a sense of total dread, the Dale Ambrose opened the door, hearing a squeak of dismay from the real Ambrose beside him as they saw the entire Great Hall, including all the members of staff in the room, had been turned into an army of Ambrose Baileys.


	24. Worthy Donations

_A/N Third Chapter since Friday, so if you happen to be one of my weekly readers, you may need to double back a bit, but since this is a continuation of last chapter, I thought I'd better go ahead and get it up for you guys. Enjoy! JCWriter_

Chapter Twenty-Four

Worthy Donations

"Will everyone calm down and take your seats, please?" the Ambrose with the willow wand… Andrew perhaps… said as he took over the situation. Nearby stood an Ambrose in fine Slytherin robes, along with an Ambrose in a dress that Dale Ambrose and the real Ambrose recognized as one of Professor Scribe's. "Now, is Mr. Bailey present?" he asked.

Dale quickly put a hand over Ambrose's mouth to keep him from speaking out, while Andrew's attention rested on the Hufflepuff table.

"I believe Mr. Bailey is at the Popcorn Farm, Professor. He left choir early to attend to the baking," the Sally Ambrose said.

"This from baking?" Andrew asked dryly.

"I'll see if I can't track him down, Professor," Sally said.

"And drag any stray Ambroses you find in here as well," Andrew said as she began to walk away. "Madame Brittle, could you see if you can track down Professor Snape? As quickly as possible?" Andrew said.

The Dale Ambrose sighed and shut the door.

"So we just have to wait for Professor Snape?" Ambrose asked, dreading the thought even as he said it, wondering how he would react. Dale frowned and gazed at Ambrose seriously.

"I don't think even the Professor is going to be able to solve this one, Ambrose," Dale admitted.

"What? We're not going to be stuck like this!" Don exclaimed with fear, but the others all quickly quieted him down. "I'll never get anywhere in life looking like this!" Ambrose gave him a dirty look.

"At least you didn't get a sex change," Lucky muttered, and Dale gave her a sympathetic look.

"What are we going to do? Rather, what am I going to do?" Ambrose asked out loud, and Dale turned his attention back to the boy.

"There's only one person I know of who can help now, Ambrose, and you are going to need help," Dale said. "Lucky, sneak these two into the Great Hall and sit with the others. Ambrose, come with me. There really is no other way now, I don't think," he said. He gently pulled Ambrose away from the door and coaxed him to follow, very careful to peer around corners to keep from running into Professor Scribe.

"What do you mean by 'no other way?'" Ambrose asked, but he didn't get an answer as Dale lead him down the hall and up the stairs. They carefully crept past the John Carnegie Ambrose and the Boulderdash Ambrose who were arguing near the bottom of one of the landings, and then hurried down the second floor corridor, Dale pulling his rather surprised twin into the Trophy Room.

"Hullo! Corey, is the old man around? It's me, Dale."

"What?" Corey said in surprise, blinking at him. "You don't look like him to me."

"Yeah, I know… Ambrose, get over here," Dale said.

"Hi, Corey! It really is Dale in there," Ambrose said. "But why are we here?"

"Because you're in a mess of cosmic proportions," Dale said.

"A mess of cosmic proportions?" said a voice that made a tingle of excitement run through Ambrose the moment he heard it. "Goodness, Wilbert, is it really as bad as all of that? I'm truly not sure you're old enough or young enough to understand the concept at the moment. A few thousand years or so might clear the matter up nicely," said a wizard as he stepped into the frame. He was wearing blue robes and had startling blue eyes and a very long but trim beard.

"It's Merlin!" Ambrose said with relief. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"

"Well, technically, you're just seeing a painting of me," Merlin said, looking between them momentarily before furrowing his brow. "That's a new look for you, isn't it, Wilbert?"

"It's all my fault," Ambrose blurted out. "I… I just wanted people to understand where I was coming from… what it was like to be me! But not this literally!"

"And now there are hundreds of them," Dale said, Merlin gazing at him thoughtfully. "In fact, it looks like everyone in the school was affected."

"Can you help us?" Ambrose asked.

"I can do for you what you've been attempting to do for others, Ambrose. Help you help yourself," Merlin said. "But not here… it's much too easy for the Headmaster to guess where you are, and really, you ought to be talking to me and not a reasonable facsimile."

"Where do you want us to meet you then, sir?" Dale asked.

"In the last place the Headmaster will be in a crisis, of course. His study," Merlin explained, and stepped out of the frame. Ambrose looked at Dale worriedly.

"We're going to get into massive trouble, aren't we?" Ambrose said, but Dale simply led him out, peering cautiously towards down the main stair. Fortunately, Boulderdash and Carnegie had moved on, and Dale looked up at the stairs carefully for a moment, a bit relieved that they all seemed to be going in the right direction.

"Come on, let's make a run for it," Dale decided, and the two of them dashed up the stairs, both quite out of breath before they got to the right floor, panting heavily by the time they made it to the spiral stair. But curiously enough, both the gargoyle below and the doors above were wide open, despite the fact that no one was in there. "I don't see Descartes or Rasputin," Dale said with some relief.

"So where's Merlin?" Ambrose asked.

"I'm over there," the Merlin painting said, and Dale looked up to see the Merlin painting standing in the frame of Albus Dumbledore. The former headmaster was gazing at the two boys with an enigmatic smile on his face. "Just lift the cloth up, son," he continued. "I've already had some words with him, so he'll be expecting you."

"I think he means this one," Dale said, walking over to the painting on the easel and carefully taking the cloth off. Ambrose found himself holding his breath, for although the portrait was only of Merlin's head and shoulders, it was so detailed and lifelike that he felt like he was looking through a window rather than at a painting. The background seemed strange and distorted, both familiar and unfamiliar to Ambrose at the same time and in a way he couldn't explain. "Yep, this is the one," Dale said, aware after the fact he was stating the obvious.

"Good afternoon, boys. Having a busy day, are we?" Merlin said with a mischievous flash in his fierce blue eyes. "Do me a favor and close the door, Wilbert. But please, stay. You've rather earned the right to be here, especially after the chance you took in the Grove."

"It was nothing, sir," Dale protested, walking over and closing the doors.

"It was more than you think, I think," Merlin said. "Now, Ambrose, why don't you have a seat in front of me so we can talk? Your eyes are flooding with questions to the point I can't stand to look at them any longer. You won't find out anything holding them in, you know, although there's something to be said for quiet observation as well. It's worked for Wilbert here at least, but what's good for one man is not necessarily good for another. So what's on your mind, son?"

"Are you real?" Ambrose asked.

"A real what?" he asked, furrowing his brows.

"I mean… this painting isn't like the other paintings…"

"Oh! That! Yes, you're quite right, my boy, this isn't like the other paintings, for it has no true soul of its own, so to speak. It's a communication device that Francis Pyther helped me create for Albus Dumbledore to help him keep in touch with the school while he was visiting the Otherworld," he said, pausing when he noticed the painting of Dumbledore glaring fiercely at him. "Well, that was the excuse I gave, at least," he amended. "But rest assured, you are talking to me, myself, and I at the moment." Ambrose looked back at the Merlin painting, but the painting had felt a sudden chill coming from the icy stare from Dumbledore's portrait and decided it was best to clear out. "That other one is just a painting, of course, but he does help me keep track of things here. At any rate, as much as I like questions, we might be at this well into the evening if we keep it up too long, and I suspect it won't take long for a staff member to make a beeline over to Tassels and Panning to find Severus, so perhaps its best we get to the point. Ambrose, why did everyone in Hogwarts turn into you?"

"I… well, I don't know how really, I just…."

"No no no, not _how_, Ambrose. I probably know the answer to that better than anyone. But it's the _why_ that is important."

"I just got angry, that's all," Ambrose said reluctantly. "Nobody… well, nobody understands what it's like to be me!"

"Nobody understands what it's like to be anybody," Merlin said gently. "We're all individuals, each one as different as a snowflake. Why, I might even wager that even after this little stunt of yours that it didn't take you very long to tell your friends apart, did it?"

"No, not at all, actually," Ambrose admitted, and Merlin smiled softly, and nodded.

"But just because they can't possibly understand what it is like to be you any more than you can possibly understand their point of view, that doesn't mean they can't be sympathetic and listen, or that they won't do what they can to try and make things right. Just like you and Wilbert have done for Lucky," he added. "And to be perfectly blunt, it's rather indecent of you not to let them do the same to try and help you, for they truly are trying to understand. It's the effort that matters. Of course, there will always be people like Don in the world as well, who care only for themselves and prey on people's weaknesses in hopes of getting ahead of them somehow."

"Like my not having a father," Ambrose sighed.

"I wondered how long it'd take for that to come up," Merlin said, glancing at Dale who was smiling broadly. "Everyone has a father, Ambrose, whether we like them or want them or know them or not. It's part of the definition of being human after all, and you are more human than anything else. Sometimes it's a blessing not to know who they your parents are, you know. There are a lot of children in the world who had gene donors rather than true parents, although a few of them are Lucky enough to make it out of that mess and into caring hands."

"Well, then I guess they wouldn't count as real fathers then, would they? So everyone doesn't have a father," Ambrose concluded. "So what do I have? A father or a gene donor?"

Merlin seemed rather stunned by the question, staring fixedly at the boy for a moment and chewing on his beard until he caught sight of the expression on Dale's face.

"Wilbert, do be a good chap and stop gloating, I am attempting to think," Merlin said, waving distractedly at Dale as if trying to shoo him away, while Ambrose looked between them in confusion.

"The very fact that he has you stumped and tongue-tied right now answers the question all by itself, sir," Dale said with a thin smile.

"Goodness, I suppose it does," Merlin murmured, rather surprised despite the obvious conclusion. "You see, Ambrose, I… well, I rather intended to be no more than a gene donor, but… I suppose you made me realize just how utterly I failed at it just now. You see, I was hoping only to refresh the family tree, so to speak, to help my memory, and your mother was feeling a bit lost and missed her dreams of a large family. No obligations, no expectations just… a little bit of care and understanding and she got what she wanted, I got what I wanted and that was the end of it. You do have a way of growing on one, though. Did that… clear things up?"

"No," Ambrose said, both Merlin and Dale slumping with exasperation. "What do you have to do with it?"

"Oh, nothing except everything, actually," Merlin said. "Actually I um… well you see I… oh honestly, Ambrose, do get a hint, because I rather don't want to say the accursed line only for you to get angry and drop down the chute leading to the bottom of Cloud City. Wilbert was right to bring me here, not only because it I was the one who could clear this silly wish business up, but because the only way of actually fixing this was to get you to accept yourself for who you really are. You have my nose and eyes, my short and skinny scarecrow build… sorry about that… you share my name, my disposition, curiosity, and my intelligence, if I do say so myself. And both the paintings of me and myself have been calling you son since the very beginning because that is who you are."

Ambrose stared at him a moment before finally feeling shaky on his feet. Fortunately, however, Dale had suddenly regained his impressive height and was quick to catch the boy and help him in the chair.

"Wow," he finally murmured.

"Now do you understand why we couldn't tell you who it was?" Dale said with a sympathetic grin. Ambrose shook his head slowly.

"Because, my dear boy, there are a lot of weak-minded wizards out there who would be scared out of their wits of you if they knew whose son you were," Merlin sighed, gazing at them seriously. "Not to mention the fact that even after all this time has passed on your world, I still have a lot of enemies."

"You mean… is that what that woman in the Grove was all about? Wait, that was…"

"Viviane, yes. The Lady of the Lake was not at all happy about the fact that I dared to have a child without 'consulting' her first. It is very important you not get anywhere around her most of all, Ambrose, at least until she had a few hundred years or so to cool off," Merlin advised.

"Now that I know why I need to stay away from her, I definitely don't want to get near her!" Ambrose agreed fervently, Merlin nodding with a thin smile. "But wait, what about Mum getting remarried?"

Suddenly there was a thunderous knock at the door that made Ambrose and Dale jump.

"That will be the Headmaster," Merlin mused. "I suppose I ought to let him in."

"No, wait! Not until you tell me how you feel about it," Ambrose demanded, the second knock so powerful it shook the doors.

"I want only for you and your mother to be safe and happy, Ambrose, nothing else matters," Merlin said evenly. "It is up to the two of you to decide that. I've no right to any input in this, even if your mother did come and ask my advice on the matter. It is true that your mother getting married would help mask your identity, but it should be the least of reasons, not the most of reasons. And yet, there would be many other benefits too, for you as well as for your mother. After all, father though I may be, I can hardly be a full time father. I can be gone years at a time, and I do have other obligations, you know… including having to deal with a rather irate apprentice whom I really ought to be letting in before he tears down the castle trying to get in."

"Maybe we ought to move back," Dale suggested. Ambrose was much more reluctant to follow until Merlin gave him an encouraging nod and he numbly got up and stepped away from the painting. Just then, the doors came bursting open, and Severus and Aurelius came charging in with Danny and Andrew a few steps behind. But all four of them stopped short when they saw the two boys and the uncovered painting.

"Good afternoon, Severus. How is the weather on that side of the portal? Not too cold, I hope?" Merlin asked politely.

"How much does he know?" Severus asked Aurelius, his eyes focused on Ambrose.

"Half of it, I think, but not all the ramifications of it," Aurelius said after a glance at Ambrose's anxious gaze.

"Mr. Chance, what on earth were you thinking of bringing him here, and without my permission?" Severus snapped.

"It was an emergency, sir. I really thought Merlin was the only one could help under the circumstances, especially since Professor Andrew indicated that you weren't in the castle at the time it happened," he explained.

"Nor was I here to single the two of you out and stop you before you got up here. How remarkably convenient," Aurelius said, darting a knowing look at Severus who was doing his best to ignore it.

"Aurelius, there are times when such useful observations are best kept to oneself," Merlin chided him gently.

"Personally, I'm glad you weren't here, all things considering," Dale said in a tone that made Severus blink. "I might not have gotten the nerve to bring him up here when I probably should have done it days ago."

"I beg your pardon?" Severus asked, staring at him.

"Ambrose had already made up his mind that he didn't want his mother to get married until he knew who his real father was. You can't really blame him for that, can you?" Dale said, Severus frowning at him. "Besides, it wasn't about whether you think or I or even Merlin thought he was ready or not. Only Ambrose could possibly have known the answer to that."

"A very intelligent boy," Merlin said approvingly, noticing the grimace on Severus' face. "Severus, you wouldn't have been able to help Ambrose out of this mess without telling him the truth. His strong emotion came not from feeling that his friends didn't understand him so much as the fact that he didn't understand himself. Once he heard the truth of his origin, the wish faded on its own accord, and no one worse for the wear."

"Except for the fact that the entire school was affected by his transfiguration," Aurelius snapped, but Andrew looked thoughtful. "And just how do you expect us to explain it? People are bound to ask questions about how he did it."

"Well, by definition, it wasn't technically transfiguration so much as it was a manifestation of a wish, which falls more into Ancient Magic rather than instructional magic," Andrew put in, Severus gazing at him thoughtfully. "Who is to say it was pure transfiguration by any accounts? I can think of a number of disguise spells that could have been manipulated to do something similar to what Ambrose did, and mass illusions can be accomplished by any trained wizard particularly inclined to learn them. Come to think of it, Ginny was telling us a story in the staff room just before Halloween that they used once disguise spells on the entire student body when Professor Dumbledore decided to have a sleepover that year."

"The sleepover was actually for security reasons. The disguise spells were simply a distraction to keep them busy," Severus murmured thoughtfully.

"Still, it'd take a lot more charms expertise to do a whole room of individual costumes than someone casting the same illusion over everyone," Andrew said. "At least it's something to tell the board, and it's a lot more believable than an overzealous wish."

"Must you repeatedly use that word?" Severus said crisply and Merlin chuckled.

"Oh, come now, Severus, it's more than just saying the word, you know, anymore than any other type of spell is cast by just saying the words. Don't be so oversensitive. It's the thought behind it that causes its effects, not the wording," Merlin chided him. "And really, I don't think it's likely to happen again, is it?" he added, Ambrose shaking his head emphatically in response.

"Yes, it seems I've heard that before," Severus said dryly.

"So, what's the official word, Professor?" Danny asked. "They're bound to ask whether or not he got in trouble for this." Ambrose immediately turned sullen.

"The official word is that Mr. Bailey was experimenting with magic that he shouldn't have been, and it backfired," Severus said. "And if some sort of false suppositions or rumors happen to surface about him experimenting with illusions, I for one wouldn't have a clue as to how they got started, or any murmurs of the fact that the Headmaster thinks that Mr. Bailey seems to be going out of his way lately to be the center of attention and plans to rectify the matter," he said, pulling one of the school newspapers out of his cloak and glancing between the boys accusingly.

"I admit that part is somewhat true. I was trying to draw everyone's attention away from Lucky, so that maybe she would feel it's safe to come out again." Ambrose said. Severus shook his head disapprovingly. "Am I going to be allowed to tell Lucky who my father is?"

"It is quite dangerous to tell anyone at all," Severus snapped.

"I agree. This secret is on unsteady ground right now as it is," Aurelius added.

"And keeping a young boy bursting at the seams to talk to someone and having nowhere to go is going to make that steadier?" Danny asked. Severus and Aurelius glared at her. "Sorry, I know I'm playing a bit of a devil's advocate here… er, no offense…"

"None taken," Merlin said with obvious amusement.

"But sometimes you can try so hard to hide something that people get suspicious. It also makes people become curious to the point they'll put their lives on hold just to find out what someone is trying to keep secret, and that's something you have got to avoid," Danny said. "He'll be better off having someone else to talk to about this." Aurelius sighed, knowing perfectly well she was right.

"Fine, I'll go with them when they tell her about it. But no one else, and I do mean no one. This is one thing we cannot afford to ever become public knowledge," Aurelius said firmly.

"I quite agree," Severus said.

"As do I," Merlin said cordially. "Although it is ultimately Ambrose's decision who he should tell or who he should not tell."

"I just wanna tell Lucky," Ambrose said.

"Very well, Ambrose," Severus said evenly. "Aurelius, why don't you see if you can't track her down. Does anyone know if anyone else saw anything directly?"

"Gary March and Don Coventry were there when it happened too, Professor," Dale offered.

"I'll talk to Don," Danny immediately volunteered.

"Why don't you go track Gary down, Irwindale? Perhaps you should go with him, Aurelius, in case he and Lucky are together."

"Yes, sir," Dale said, quickly excusing himself with Aurelius not far behind.

"As for you, Mr. Bailey," Severus began. "You can start in the indoor gymnasium. You'll need this," he added, taking a large cloth out of his cloak and handing it to the boy, who stared at him in surprise. "Madame Brittle, before you go take care of that house matter, could you track down Mr. Carnegie to get him some glass polish? Mr. Bailey is going to be cleaning all the mirrors in all the public rooms, halls, and boys' lavatories for the next few hours. Do you suppose that will suffice for someone who seems to want to look at himself all too much?" he inquired expressionlessly, ignoring the moan that came out of the boy beside him.

"I think that my house especially will enjoy that tremendously," Danny said with a wink, opening the door for him, while Merlin tsked mischievously. But Ambrose paused, looking over at the painting worriedly.

"Wait! When am I going to see you again? Or am I ever going to see you?" Ambrose asked in a panic.

"Sooner than you think," Merlin said with an enigmatic smile. Feeling strangely reassured, Ambrose nodded in acceptance and walked out of the room.

"Andrew, would you go see how your mother and aunt are coming along with that baking party of theirs and fill them in?" Severus asked.

"Gladly," Andrew said brightly at the prospect of having a legitimate reason to raid any kitchen, slipping into invisibility as he left and Severus once again turned towards the painting.

"So by that 'sooner than you think,' am I to take it then that you mean you are on your way back?" Severus asked him.

"Indeed yes," Merlin said with a smile. "Nor do I come back empty handed."

"Please tell me you're not bringing back any more hybrid plants," Severus said with a disapproving frown.

"Goodness no, Severus! I meant I'm bringing guests," he said cheerfully.

Ambrose had been so excited to tell Lucky the news that Aurelius found himself having to soundproof the gym to keep them from being overheard, reminding Ambrose more than once that he was supposed to be working while he talked. But much to Ambrose's disappointment, Lucky wasn't all that surprised at all; in awe, perhaps, but then it almost seemed to her like all the curious experiences she had had with the kid over the last few years had fallen into place, explaining everything from his intelligence to the oddity of his magic every now and again.

She was also in that moment able to piece together some information that Ambrose obviously hadn't figured out yet. Lucky glanced at Aurelius questioningly, and his nod followed by an almost imperceptible shake of the head was enough confirmation that her guess was right and that Aurelius didn't want him told just yet. Lucky decided to let it go. After all, it was probably overwhelming enough just for Ambrose to find out who his father was, let alone find out he was one of the most famous wizards of all time. It seemed almost too much to let him know he was also his favorite shopkeeper next door.

"You know, I think that's why Counselor Vallid said that all those years ago, about him being famous," Ambrose said. "She must have known who it was too! She wasn't lying at all!"

"Truth Seekers don't lie," Aurelius said defensively. "We just don't tell everyone everything."

"In another words, lyin' isn't an art form. Omission is," Lucky said dryly.

"Sometimes, yes," Aurelius said. "Were you not aware of that?"

"Here, let me give you a hand, Bill," Lucky decided. "We gotta get up early for that bake sale, after all."

"I hope we make a lot of money," Ambrose said.

"Don't worry, I got an idea on how we can make a lot of money tomorrow," Lucky smirked.

* * *

Severus Snape stared starkly at the price on a large plate of springerle near the center of the table. He then looked up at where Connie, Lucky and Ambrose were standing behind the table, smiling beatifically.

"Is that galleon price tag for the whole plate?" he asked.

"No, that's each," Lucky said.

"No one is going to pay that much for a single biscuit," Severus said curtly.

"That's ok. It'll give us something to munch on at the end of the day if it doesn't sell," Lucky shrugged, accepting a sickle from one of the other students for some gingerbread men. Severus squinted at them.

"And why are the gingermen so inexpensive?"

"We made more of 'em," Lucky shrugged. "Supply and demand."

"This is Professor Craw's doing, isn't it?" Severus asked flatly.

"Naw, it was my idea," Lucky said smugly. "I thought of it after I heard her making a comment of how fond you were of them when we were baking. Me? I can't stand the things."

"Then you won't need them to nibble on later, will you?" Severus reasoned.

"If you're looking me to lower the price, forget it," Lucky said firmly. "After all, we got a fountain to build, right? If you don't like the price, don't buy it. It's not like we're twistin' your arm or anything…five knuts each for those," she added when someone asked about a tray of witch-fingers. But the Headmaster hadn't moved, watching several transactions take place around him before he finally took out a large coin pouch and dropped it on the table in front of them and grabbed the entire plate.

"You want a receipt?" Lucky asked expressionlessly.

"Remind me to take out a bank loan the next time you decide to have a bake sale," Severus said, and began to turn when he noticed another tray. "I don't suppose that is Doctor Sagittari's baklava?"

"Ya," Lucky said, and Severus frowned at the price tag a moment before going back to his expressionless gaze.

"That's very interesting," Severus said. "You know, Professor Craw happens to be rather fond of his baklava."

"Oh ya, that's right, she is, isn't she?" Lucky said thoughtfully, while Connie and Ambrose grinned at each other behind her back.

"Quite fond," Severus agreed before carrying his plate safely away from the table.

"Got a quill?" Lucky asked, and immediately Connie produced one. Smirking to himself when he noticed them scrambling to change the tag, Severus found a warm spot down the hall to stand, smugly nibbling on a square as he watching people go by, gaining interest when he finally saw Jennifer step out from the Great Hall and walk over to the table.

Suddenly she stood up straight and looked around, having no trouble spotting where Severus was standing down the corridor and walked over to him.

"What? No parcels?" Severus asked innocently.

"Well, not yet, no. I left my cloak in our rooms this morning," Jennifer explained. "I don't suppose you'll lend me twenty galleons?"

"Did you say twenty?" Severus gaped, and then tried to defend himself as Jennifer went for his cloak pocket, but found himself at a disadvantage considering he still had a plate to contend with. "You're not really going to pay twenty galleons for a silly plate of baklava, are you?"

"No, of course not, Severus," Jennifer said coyly. "You are," she added mischievously, grabbing a second pouch out of his cloak and hurrying off as he looked for a place he could safely put the biscuits down.

"She did it again!" Severus said with exasperation, watching helplessly as Jennifer put down the coin and walked off with the tray, while the three beatific smiles were even wider than they had been a few moments before.


	25. Photo Inop

Chapter Twenty-Five

Photo Inop

With a bright glow on her face brought on by more than just the frigid London air, Jennifer opened the door to the Baker Street house, getting cheerful greetings as Alex and Ben both got up to give her hugs.

"It's so good to be home for awhile! Someone hand me a baby!" Jennifer said with such desperation in her voice that Alex and Ben couldn't help but laugh as she went over to the crib and picked up little Icarus. "My goodness, but you've grown since the last time I visited! They grow up much too fast," Jennifer protested. Rolling her eyes, Lucky decided to walk her trunk upstairs, using unpacking as an excuse to make a quick getaway.

"Mamamama!" Rus said.

"And he's learning to talk too!" Jennifer said excitedly.

"Yes, he knows three words now. Mama, Dadda and gimme," Ben chuckled.

"Actually, I've never heard the last one," Alex said ruefully. "I always hear what it is that he's wanting."

"Milk!" Janus said, demanding attention, and Jennifer looked down to see he had crawled over to her and was sitting right under her holding his arms up.

"No milk. Granma," Jennifer tsked. "Really, you are stubborn as your grandfather."

"Milk!" Janus said again, kicking his feet again.

"He thinks Rus gets too much attention," Alex explained.

"I can see that, thank you," Jennifer said in a chiding tone, putting Rus into the pen to play. "Although he would get a lot more attention if he made an effort of talking more."

"As far as he's concerned, he already knows how to talk," Alex sighed, watching as Janus gave up and when over to his mother instead.

"Milk!" Janus said, and Alex picked him up. Jennifer shook her head but decided she would simply be repeating herself if she made any further comments.

"I think I'll go make some coffee," she decided, walking into the kitchen. Ben followed behind with a knowing smile on his face.

"I don't suppose the Professor will be here long enough to teach him a second word?" Ben asked with a chuckle. "I for one am getting tired of that one."

"I'm sure you are," Jennifer grinned at him. "Oh, but you're doing marvelously with Rus, Ben! In fact, it's quite encouraging for him to know three words already, most of mine only knew 'nana' at his age."

"Well, Rus has had to contend with this weekend mum arrangement from the moment he was born. He's not anywhere near as attached to her as Janus is. In fact, it's been a bit of a sticking point lately," Ben said in an even lower voice, sitting at the bar near the coffee machine. "Alex… well, Alex has been a bit jealous that Rus doesn't really respond to her like Janus does. Rus said 'dadda' for a month and then 'gimme' next…"

"Oh dear, I know that feeling," Jennifer admitted with a sigh, leaning on the counter. "I had that same problem when my children got attached to Carol."

"I can understand that, she was a nanny after all. But I'm their father," Ben said.

"Yes, I know. But there really is no substitute for actually being there," Jennifer sighed, gazing in to watch Alex still pampering Janus. "And Alex doesn't have the benefit of being able to take the summer off like we did to get to know her children better."

"I would love nothing better to have a month or two where we can just learn to be a family for awhile," Ben said with a sigh. "But until Janus has made some progress, I don't think it'd be good for him."

"You are a family, Ben," Jennifer said with a reassuring smile, setting a cup of coffee. "Regardless of whether you feel as close to them as you would like or not. I know I don't feel as close to my family as I'd like to be."

"Yes, but you like it best when you're smothered," Ben teased.

"Absolutely!" Jennifer chuckled. "So don't be surprised if I plan to use the dinner bell liberally while I'm at home."

"Oh no," Ben groaned but then gave her a grin.

"Hey, Jackie?" Jennifer looked up and did a double take when she saw that Lucky had already changed into more comfortable clothes and tied up her hair and was wearing a heavy coat. "Can I go out?"

"Already? But we just got back!" Jennifer said with exasperation. "Wouldn't you rather stay home and relax for an evening?"

"Nah," Lucky shrugged.

"But I'll be going out tomorrow. I need to go to Dagda's anyhow, and then we can go wherever you like for an hour or two…"

"Actually, I wanna go downtown. You know. Window shopping and stuff."

"She's definitely a teenager," Ben chuckled.

"Fine, but only for an hour or so," Jennifer said.

"Where can I get in an hour?" Lucky complained. "I guess I'll take the tubes. Can I borrow some paper money?"

"You can use the floo powder and cut through Diagon Alley to get change, but I still want you back in time to help me get ready for dinner," Jennifer said in a gentle but firm tone.

"Fine," Lucky said with annoyance, stomping towards the fireplace to show her disgruntlement as she picked up a pouch off the mantle and filled it with powder.

"Are you seriously letting her go out into Muggle London on her own?" Alex said skeptically. "None of us got to go traipsing out and about alone at her age! I never got to go anywhere further than the park until I had a job!"

"These are different times, Alex, and Lucky knows how to take care of herself," Jennifer said as Lucky disappeared in a burst of flames. "Besides, it's only for an hour or so."

"Anyone who can manage to get from here to Manhattan without using regular wizard transport is definitely someone who can take care of themselves," Ben chuckled.

"I'm only thinking about her safety, you know," Alex said. "After all, Father always told us that all times are dark times."

"I didn't say they weren't dark, Alex, I said they were different," Jennifer pointed out. "And she grew up in entirely different circumstances, after all. In a way, she feels like that's her world out there, not here. She can be herself without everyone bothering her asking about family matters."

"Well, I admit it isn't always easy growing up a Snape," Alex admitted.

"It's not easy growing up no matter who you are," Jennifer said firmly.

"I only meant that it did always seem like everyone else seemed more interested in our personal lives than even we did," Alex said.

"Yes," Ben said, growing thoughtful. "Did anyone think to warn Lucky about the Dale thing?"

"What Dale thing?" Jennifer asked curiously.

By that point Lucky had already made her way to Gringott's, making noncommittal waves to passersby who recognized her. She walked through the Leaky Cauldron and out into the streets, breathing deeply a moment before racing to the nearest tube station to Knightsbridge, soon inundated by Christmas shoppers as she came out and walked down Brompton Road. Sure, it wasn't New York, but the architecture was just as fascinating, even if it wasn't so high. She paused to press her head against the glass of the shoe store near the station for a moment before continuing on, ignoring all the clothing shops in hopes for more interesting places to look. And how nice it was to be able to get lost in a crowd again! Realizing she had forgotten to eat, Lucky looked down the street and decided that McDonald's was probably a better bet than trying to go in the Harrod's food hall that time of the afternoon.

But as she was walking, Lucky made the mistake of looking into the window of a girl's clothing shop. She was crinkling her nose at what they called 'fashion' when she noticed a display so garish for that side of the street that she stopped short, staring at the overly pink and frilly line of Duffy Dakota clothing, none of which she would be caught dead in. Her jaw fell and her fists clenched when she saw a sequined outfit that had the words 'Duffy loves Dale' beaded on the front with cute appliquéd metallic hearts scattered over the rest of the shirt and jacket.

Growling deep in her throat, Lucky forced herself to turn away, storming down the street with such ferocity that she was starting to get a number of looks from other shoppers who did their best to avoid her. She tried to put the occurrence out of her mind, but just when she had finally turned her focus back on shopping, she happened to pass a news stand and found herself looking at the picture of Duffy and Dale apparently photo-shopped next to one another on the cover of several different newspapers and magazines, most of which read, "Exclusive interviews with Second Chance and Dakota's best friends about impending Duffy-Dale reunion in London!"

"Aw, this is gettin' stupid!" Lucky said out loud.

"All roit there, miss?" said the vendor standing nearby.

"This Duffy Dakota thing! Dale isn't interested in her!" Lucky snapped.

"Oh, tha'. My daughter says the same fing. Got a bit of a crush on him too, I bet…"

"No way!" Lucky said with disgust.

"Oh I see. I bet your sore about the Duffy concert bein' sold out as it has been for months, and you kids just roit gettin' off for the holidays as you are. I know, why don't you try your luck on that contest with the Duffy dolls at Harrods? They're givin' aways a free set of tickets for whoever finds the right packaged doll. My daughter has ten of the fings already, although one of them is that new Dale Chance doll of course," he said.

Lucky stared at him in complete horror before bolting down the street, ignoring the exclamations of people around her as she dodged through the crowd and into Harrods, walking as fast as she could and jogging up escalators to get to the fourth floor. Once she was in the toy department, it was hard to miss; for there in front of a carefully constructed tower of Duffy dolls was a glass display was a 'On the Town' Duffy doll with her plastic hand hooked around a 'Dale Loves Duffy' doll.

Lucky let out a blood-curdling scream.

Just four days before, Dale Chance had reacted in very much the same way.

It was quite a relief to get out of the endless tests, since he had to pack them all into two days instead of five, and he never slept well the night before he had to change from Hogwarts Dale to Second Chance Dale or back again. He plopped into the coach and exchanged only the minimum of pleasantries with his body guards before dozing off, waking only when the coach made its customary change into a limo and hit the ground much like an airplane landing not far from their plush Hampton apartment and straight into the garage.

He came into the flat to find it unusually quiet, for the television, radio, and wizard wireless were all turned off, as well as his father's computer.

"Is that you, Dale?" came Myrine's voice, and Dale went in to find her working at the table in the kitchen. Dale frowned, for no type of phone…cell, shell, or otherwise… were anywhere on the table. "Oh, good, it is you! How was school? Get good marks on those last tests?"

"Sure, fine, Mom. What's wrong?" Dale asked.

"Everything's fine, but there have been some slight changes made to the lyrics, so you might want to study them before we record tomorrow. I left the demo and the music in your room so you could compare them," Myrine said calmly.

"Thanks, I'll work on it tonight. Why is everything turned off if nothing's wrong?" Dale went on.

"Well, I just thought that perhaps you and I should have a short family discussion without the current noise pollution going on at the moment," Myrine said, finally putting her work aside.

"Okay, who in the band is in jail this time?" Dale asked flatly.

"No, it's nothing like that," Myrine sighed.

"Alcohol? Drugs? One of them got some girl pregnant? Party photos surfaced showing one of them in the process of one, the other, or all three? Nude photos on the web?" Dale continued worriedly.

"Nothing like that, although I can tell that you actually do pay some attention to my lectures," Myrine said with amusement.

"You've been scaring me with the crash and burn stories as long as I can remember," Dale retorted. "How is it that I'm not hitting the right one?"

"Well, this discussion has to do with Duffy Dakota," she explained.

"What does she have to do with us?" Dale frowned in confusion. "Dad didn't sign her, did he?"

"Uh, no, we'd never be able to pull a deal like that off, not that I'd really want to," Myrine admitted. "But your father did find a way of um… cash in on some free publicity, so to speak. Do you recall that brief photo-op we did with Duffy over the summer?"

"Oh no. Please tell me he didn't do what I think he did," Dale moaned. "Why didn't you stop him?"

"Him I can stop, Dale, the media I can't," Myrine said. "When you fell out of sight to head back to Hogwarts, the paparazzi knew their best bet was to get the scoop from Duffy and camped her house. Tired of being hounded about it and them not taking no for an answer, she decided to improvise some answers to get them off her back. Unfortunately, her manufactured comments then caused a media frenzy and… well, when the publicity inflated, so did your father's head."

"I'm beginning to see why so many teen idols start seeking vices. This is enough to drive even me to drink," Dale said dryly.

"Don't you dare!" Myrine said with a warning smile, batting him on the shoulder despite the fact she knew perfectly well her son knew better. "Look, you're only going to have to deal with this for a couple of weeks. Half of that is going to be working on that single, and then you and the boys have to prep for that televised benefit. Just take my advice and stay away from anything media related for the duration…" she advised in a lowered voice.

"I want to know what she's been saying about me, and I want to know just how they're twisting it," Dale demanded.

"Since when do you not trust my advice?" Myrine said indignantly.

"It's not you I'm worried about…" Dale began, but stopped short when he heard the door.

"Ah! There is the man of the year!" Bert said in such an elated singsong voice that Dale realized he was in even worse trouble than he had imagined. "We have a busy holiday coming up, son of mine, very busy indeed!"

"Yes, I've already been telling him about the studio schedule," Myrine said, pointedly handing over her personal itinerary to show Dale.

"Yes, yes, yes, of course, there is _that_. Always strike while the iron is hot, that's what they say, isn't it? All the same, we can't possibly keep you in a stuffy studio all holiday, not with Duffy coming into town in a few days…"

"Dad…"

"Now, now, don't worry! After we've done our obligation bit, Mr. White has arranged to send us some tickets for Duffy's new concert! Front row, of course, so she can see you…"

"Dad…"

"Oh! And Myrine, could you pen in a bit of a meet and greet at Harrod's at noon on the twentieth? That way the two of them can pick the winner of the contest together!" he beamed happily.

"What contest?" Dale demanded.

"Yes, Wilbert, what contest?" Myrine asked.

"Now, Myrine, you know very well which one! The one the toy company put out for free concert tickets," Bert explained. "The one that does Duffy's dolls. Yes, I know how you feel about that, Dale, but you have yet to understand just how big this thing is. They came to me personally and asked if they could use the model they developed for the 'Duffy's Dream Date' doll and re-sculpt the head a bit to look like you! What do you suppose what I should have said to such a deal as that?"

"No, Dad! You should have said no!" Dale shouted.

"I'm glad I didn't! Your doll is on the very top of the girls' most wanted list for Christmas from ages five to fifteen!" Bert said, bubbling over with dollar signs. "Aren't you excited?"

Fortunately, Myrine had already muttered a spell to muffle her hearing before her son began to express just how 'excited' he was.

* * *

As chance would have it (or perhaps not), the morning of Yule was the start of Ben's week off, bringing home his wages and a small Christmas bonus and was more than ready to spend it. Immediately Lucky volunteered to go and help Ben with the kids, for otherwise she would have gotten stuck in the kitchen all day with last minute baking. To Lucky's surprise, not a single argument or look of exasperation was passed her way, or even the token suggestion of leaving the kids behind. A simple, 'have fun' was all they received from Jennifer, while Severus, sitting at the bar in case any broken biscuits needed gotten rid of, watched the exchange with interest before turning back to his paper.

It wasn't long after Ben began to drive down the street that Lucky frowned.

"Hey, you missed the turn. Aren't we going down Tottingham?"

"Not this time, Lucky. I really want to get Alex something special this year," Ben explained.

"What! But there's tons of stuff she could use there, all sorts of great gadgets! Besides, I was kinda hoping we could look at some games and maybe a new handset…"

"Lucky, if I drive the two of us anywhere near the electronics district, we are going to be there all day and I won't have anything to show for the effort, and you know it," Ben chuckled. "Save it for Christmas, Lucky, I seriously doubt you're going to have a gadget-free Christmas. In fact, I guarantee that it won't be."

"Oh ya? What did you get me?" Lucky asked curiously.

"You have less than a week before you find out," Ben grinned. "Look, if we have enough time after I pick something up for Alex, we'll cut head back over, but I really want to get her something other that a 'gadget' this year."

"Like what?" Lucky sighed.

"Haven't a clue," Ben admitted, and Lucky groaned when he turned down Park Lane.

"Oh great, we're going to Harrod's, aren't we? I already went there when we got back from school!" Lucky complained.

"Yes, and the only thing you had to show for it was a headless doll," Ben said.

"Ya, well, I didn't find anything else worth destroying in there," Lucky muttered. "I think they would have thrown me out anyhow."

"Probably," he agreed.

"You're not gonna be looking in women's clothing or somethin', are you?" Lucky asked skeptically once he was looking for a place to park.

"Uh, probably not. Maybe I'll try housewares or something," Ben decided.

"I thought you weren't going to get her another gadget!" Lucky complained, getting out and going to the boot to grab the diaper bag.

"Milk!" Janus protested as he was pulled out of the carseat.

"No, I don't think your Mum would want that, either," Ben chuckled, patiently waiting for Lucky to unfold the stroller before getting the boys settled.

"Can I go up and look at the sports section real quick?" Lucky asked wistfully, already impatient at the lack of speed that came with toting two babies in a stroller let alone in a store that big.

"All right, Lucky," Ben sighed. "That should give me time to find something for Alex, then let's meet up in the children's books on the fourth floor. Janus seems to like trains, so I think I'm going to grab him a few children's books and see if I can get him interested in talking that way." Lucky looked at him dubiously but didn't comment. She simply double-checked to make sure he had everything with them before finally taking off.

It was a monstrously busy day, and Lucky soon realized it was a better day to be grabbing than it was to be looking. Valiantly she made the effort, but from the constant distractions from the crowds and a bit dissuaded by the higher end pricing, Lucky finally worked her way back downstairs, deciding that maybe getting each of her younger nieces and nephews books were probably a pretty good idea.

But the moment she stepped off onto the fourth floor, she regretted ever agreeing to met Ben on that level so close to Christmas, for it was absolutely positively packed. Lucky cringed when she noticed a much younger girl wearing one of those Duffy-Dale shirts she had seen a few days before, and as she worked her way through, she came across more and more girls wearing that shirt until she stopped dead in her tracks to see an enormous group of them crowding a makeshift stage. A manager looking type was standing on it with his best suit, talking to some of the other workers, before finally nodding and tapping a microphone and then clearing his throat.

"Yes, I suppose the majority of you are here for the drawing over those two Duffy Dakota concert tickets?" he asked, getting a round of applause. Lucky rolled her eyes.

"As you know, you need not, of course, be present to win. However, for those of you who have made the special effort to be down here for this event, I think you will find that you will not be disappointed. For here to help pick the lucky winner is none other than Miss Duffy Dakota herself!"

A scream went out then that set the mike wailing and Lucky wincing disgustedly at the overwhelming enthusiasm of the girls all saying her name and clamoring to get her attention and several flashes of light went off.

"Thank you very much! I've had such wonderful hospitality ever since I arrived, it's so good to see all of you!" Duffy said brightly. "Of course, it also helps that I've had the best escort and tour guide a girl could ever ask for."

"And would that be anyone we would know, Miss Dakota?" asked the manager, sounding quite rehearsed.

"You should by now," Duffy grinned. "I wonder where he is? How I hate it when he gets out of my sight!"

"Then I expect he ought to come out then," the manager said, and another round of shrieks, squeals and threats of fainting went up as Dale came out from the back with a sheepish grin on his face, while Duffy immediately clung to his arm the moment he got up on stage, and more flashes went off. Lucky folded her arms, glaring at him dangerously. But in the mass of people, Dale didn't see much of anything, wearing a forced smile while his mind was busy plotting ways to get even with his father.

"May I introduce my escort, Mr. Dale Chance, lead singer of Second Chance," Duffy said, and another round of applause broke out.

"You're a very lucky boy, Mr. Chance," the manager commented, but for some reason Dale wasn't too inclined to thank him.

"Oh, not as lucky as I am, isn't that right, girls?" Duffy said, egging the crowded into another approving nod while leaning her head coquettishly against his shoulder a moment. "And not as lucky as whoever it is getting to win these tickets to my concert! Dale, why don't you pick the winner?"

"Um, all right," Dale said, wondering exactly when they went off the script. "I can do that," he said, sticking his hand in the clear box filled with papers.

"Good. Then that leaves me free to do this," Duffy said mischievously, catching him completely off surprise when she suddenly put her hands around her neck and kissed him passionately. She then turned and grinned triumphantly at the rapid flashes of cameras as another wave of applause occurred.

How Dale found the strength to stand there and smile at her when he really wanted to tell her off was mainly due to years of training on how to fake it, somehow managing to sound cordial to her afterwards despite being furious about having been given no warning that such a stunt was being planned. At her flirtatious coaxing, he went back to what he was doing, but as he pulled out a name, he made the mistake of turning back to the crowd before he read it, leaving him open for a solid punch to the nose that sent him flying backwards off the stage.

A bit stunned, Dale sat up shakily with his hands over his nose. But his eyes went wide when he saw Lucky storm over as furious as he had ever seen her, more than a little afraid that his bodyguards would rush in as she stood over him and started shouting at him in Spanish.

"Okay! Okay, okay!" Dale said, putting a hand out to keep anyone from getting closer, seeing with some relief his mother standing there with an arm in front of his bodyguards. "I get the hint, Lucky, no more publicity dates! It won't happen again!" he said sincerely.

"It had better not!" Lucky said, brandishing her fist again threateningly. As she turned to storm out, however, both the crowd and security had closed in around her.

"Try the back door, Miss Snape," one of the bodyguards said dryly, and Lucky suddenly realized that both had come on either side of her in an attempt to keep away the reporters that had swarmed in trying to get to her. Sticking her nose in the air, Lucky stormed out in the other direction, and everyone began talking excitedly at once.

Still a bit dazed, Dale watched the crowd's excitement for a moment and listened to Duffy's vocal outrage and her constant complaints at how they were letting her get away.

Just then, Dale burst out laughing, waving off the offers to help him up and laying back down and staring at the ceiling for a moment before breaking out in chuckles again. Myrine appeared over him, frowning at his bloody nose.

"Stop acting like a hyena! We need to get you and Duffy out of here as soon as possible," she hissed.

"Whatever you say, Mom," he said in such a distant, happy tone that she was quite sure he hadn't heard a single word of it. "Hey, Mom, guess what? I think she actually likes me," Dale said incredulously.

"Then you had better start learning how to duck," Myrine said dryly, picking her son off the floor and nudging him out the back.


	26. Many Happy Returns

Chapter Twenty-Six

Many Happy Returns

Jennifer rolled her eyes and shook her head, refilling Myrine's coffee cup where she sat at the kitchen bar.

"Honestly, she could at least come down and apologize for the scene even if she isn't sorry for what she did," Jennifer sighed. "I know how much of a headache that is going to cause you."

"Well, the media will definitely have a field day with it, that's for certain," Myrine said with a wry smile. "Although don't worry too much about Dale's nose. My husband may only have an Associate's degree in magic, but he has a natural knack for basic healing spells. It might look a bit off color under high definition, but there won't be any swelling and we were able to convince several of our backers that it was worse than what it actually is. The toy company is a little miffed, of course."

"Well, I think that sentiment goes both ways," Jennifer said dryly, pulling out another basket and starting to fill it. "Lucky looked positively heartbroken when I told her that voodoo didn't work with plastic." Myrine blinked once and then the two women broke out laughing.

"I had better get going. I need to get with Duffy's agent and figure out how to approach this with the media," Myrine said, getting up.

"Are you sure the three of you can't come tonight so you can get away from the craziness for a while?" Jennifer frowned.

"Thank you, but I'm afraid not, especially not now. We only have a couple of weeks to work with, after all," Myrine said. "Besides, considering how the children are getting on at the moment, it's hardly a good time to put them together, is it?"

"But you are taking time off for Christmas?" Jennifer asked.

"We're going to the ski resort, Jennifer, now stop worrying," Myrine tsked at her. "For twenty-four hours we'll spend some family time together… or rather, I'll spend twenty-four hours trying to keep Bert and Dale from trying to kill each other." Jennifer couldn't help but chuckle at that.

The door of the basement opened and Severus stepped out, peering in the kitchen thoughtfully.

"Oh, so this is what all the cackling is about," he mused. "And what brings you out and about, Myrine? From what you said in your letter, you had a full schedule."

"So I have! In fact, I really ought to get going," Myrine said. "Thanks for the tea, Jennifer."

"This is for you too, Myrine!" Jennifer said, handing her the basket. "It's a bit of a tradition around here, no one leaves here without one."

"Thank you," Myrine chuckled and accepted it. Jennifer walked her to the door, unsurprised to find Severus still standing there questioningly when she got back to the kitchen.

"Finished off the last of the old mistletoe?" Jennifer asked.

"Almost, just some simmering pots left. What was it Myrine didn't want to talk to me about?" Severus asked.

"Well, if you must know, Lucky and Dale had a ruin today," Jennifer said, putting the springerle out as an attempt to distract him.

"What sort of run-in?" Severus asked suspiciously, having no intention of falling for it.

"Oh, well, it rather involved Lucky's fist having a run-in with Dale's nose, actually," Jennifer admitted. Severus rolled his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Not that it wasn't provoked… apparently that publicity date they set Dale up with kissed him during an appearance and Lucky took offense to it," she said with amusement. "Dale was elated, of course."

"A public appearance? How many people saw her do this?" Severus frowned.

"Everyone in the toy department of Harrod's I'd say, and half a dozen reporters who had gotten hints that they'd be there," Jennifer said. Severus groaned. "Now, don't worry. Myrine was able to whisk them out of there very quickly when things went bad and arranged for Lucky to meet Ben at the car. No one was certain where she went, or even who she was."

"And they'll be hounding Dale and the girl about it until they find out something. They're reporters, they're paid to dig in at the first sign of blood," Severus said.

"You're making them sound like vultures, Severus," Jennifer tsked.

"An adequate description, yes," Severus said expressionlessly. "I doubt even Ron Weasley would disagree with it."

"Oh, well, no, maybe not," Jennifer chuckled. "You'd better go check those potions, Severus."

"Certain you're not just attempting to get me out of the kitchen?" he inquired.

"Of course I am. I have a lot to do and it won't be long before people starting to show up. Honestly, Severus, you ought to have the holiday routine down pat by now," Jennifer teased.

"Yes. Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you about that, while we have a moment alone," Severus said.

"Well, considering this is probably the only moment alone we'll have this evening, I'd say now is the time," Jennifer chuckled, searching through the ice box and pulling out a relish tray.

"Jennifer, I don't want to light the Log this year," Severus said. Jennifer looked up in complete surprise, gazing at his serious expression. "That honor is supposed to go to the head of the household, and it was you who carried the family through the majority of crises this year, not me. I would prefer it if you did it."

"Don't be silly, Severus!" Jennifer sighed.

"I am being nothing of the sort. I would not feel comfortable doing such a thing when I was not even here last year."

"Oh, well, neither was I, really, we went to the ball…"

"You knew perfectly well what I meant," Severus said evenly.

"Severus, please. I just want to move on," Jennifer said quietly, gazing at him sincerely.

"Yes, I know, Jennifer, but I cannot possibly go out there and pretend it didn't happen," Severus said. Jennifer paused, wondering if she heard something.

"I don't want it brought up, Severus," Jennifer said firmly. Severus gazed at her steadily for a moment, but then there was a clear knock on the door. Jennifer moved to answer it, but Severus caught her sleeve.

"Together then," Severus said in a low voice. A warm smile spread over her face and she nodded as she went for the door, more than a bit surprised when he paused at the basement door as if curious to see who it was.

But when Jennifer opened the door she let out a cry of sheer surprise, hugging the elderly witch standing there happily.

"Minerva, Minerva, Minerva!" Jennifer said, laughing at the same time. "It's so good to see you! When did you get back? What are you doing here?"

"Staying here, if you'll have me," Minerva laughed.

"I should say so! Might be a bit noisy," Jennifer warned but was obviously pleased at the prospect of having her as a houseguest.

"All the better! It's just what I need after my time in the Otherworld," Minerva chuckled, noticing as Severus had attempted to discreetly move her suitcase inside. "Good afternoon, Severus! Thank you for offering to take me in, it'll give Albus more free time to visit Rosmerta without me underfoot, and I did want to see Jennifer."

"Albus is here too? What a fabulous Christmas this is going to be!" Jennifer said happily. "Come, let's get you settled upstairs. I suppose you remember Lucky?" she added, when she saw the girl standing at the top of the stairs wondering what the fuss was about.

"This is Lucky? Goodness, but you've changed! You've lost weight, haven't you?"

"Same weight, just taller," Lucky shrugged.

"That does make a difference," Minerva said with amusement.

"Fortuna, why don't you come downstairs and mind the door so I can finish those potions?" Severus suggested, and reluctantly Lucky started down the stairs. "And try not to hit anyone this time," he added dryly before returning to the basement. Lucky grimaced but went to the living room, turning on the television.

"I really do love what you've done with your hair, Jennifer," Minerva said, watching as Jennifer cracked the window in the bedroom across from Lucky's. "And this is a very nice room."

"It was Alex's at one point, but her family's in the suite at the other end of the hall now. We'll probably fix one of these rooms for their two boys when they get older, but I've been reluctant to do it since Andrew and Aurelius show up and crash here at random times," Jennifer chortled.

"Still bachelors then, I take it," Minerva said with amusement.

"Much to Severus' dismay, yes," Jennifer grinned.

"And how is Severus?" Minerva asked.

"Oh, marvelous! In fact, I think he is actually starting to like his job," Jennifer chuckled.

"That does sound like an improvement," Minerva agreed. "And how is Jennifer?"

"Fine, obviously," Jennifer said with a chuckle, a bit unnerved by Minerva's steady gaze. "Honestly, I've never been better! Although I really ought to go check and see who else is here, I thought I heard the door just now. Make yourself comfortable, the bathroom's to the right as you come out. I'm afraid you're sharing it with Lucky, but if she leaves anything hanging about, just let me know and I'll throttle her."

"Not too hard, I hope," Minerva said with amusement, watching thoughtfully as Jennifer made her escape.

By the time Minerva came back downstairs, a great deal of the Snape family had already arrived, along with Sirius and Anna who both offered her warm hugs.

"Well, that explains what that noise was," Minerva said, Sirius grinning in response. "I see age hasn't spoiled your looks, Sirius."

"Just like a good wine, isn't that right, Anna?" Sirius said.

"I think I'll refrain from comment," Anna said. "Although I am surprised to see you, Minerva! If I had known you were coming, I'd have tried to talk the twins to come along."

"I won't be going anywhere anytime soon, and I'm sure I'll see everyone," Minerva reassured her with a smile. "In fact, if my escort is willing, I'm hoping to hang out until summer. I can use the change of pace."

"What is it like over there?" Sirius asked quietly.

"Well, I suppose it varies as it does here, but there is a more definitive separation between good and evil, with great magic barriers in between them. But in the Faelands where we live it is very beautiful, and very serene," Minerva said with a thin smile. "The gardens have the right of way, so to speak, they grow over everything, and all the structures are of broken and cobbled stone or sea stone. Thoughts and dreams seem to have more meaning and words less so, and it is so peaceful you often don't know if ten minutes have past or ten years. Albus loves it there, of course."

"But you don't, do you?" Anna asked thoughtfully.

"Actually, I do, very much so," Minerva said wryly. "I've simply discovered in the process of going there that I'm not quite ready to retire to that sort of quiet just yet. I've been spending all my time thinking of what little tidbits Merlin would tell us was about what was going on here and worrying about it, wishing I was here to help. Albus never worries about it anymore like I do, though, he simply keeps telling me, 'they are still young, but they will work it all out in the end, just be patient. I have faith in them, don't you?'"

"Well? Don't you?" Sirius challenged her with a smile.

"Well, yes, but the problem is that Albus and I have different views of what the words 'young' and 'patient,' mean," Minerva said with amusement. "And right now I don't feel like I am either. Speaking of which, Anna, how would you like to help me corner Jennifer into a Coven Night? She sounds overdue."

"Really?" Anna said thoughtfully, glancing in to where Jennifer was coddling Michael and wondering if she should have been paying closer attention.

"I'm not sure what is going on, but if you're looking for inconspicuous timing, you could always arrange for a Coven Night just before Ashley's wedding. It's on the thirty-first, you know," Sirius suggested.

"That's a good idea, actually," Minerva agreed. "I rather wanted to have a bit of a chat with her too."

"Do you have anyone else in mind you want to have a chat with?" Anna asked with a grin.

"Hm, give me a day or two, and I'll let you know," Minerva answered with a thin, amused smile.

A knock at the door ended the conversation as Sirius cordially turned and opened it and Corey, Rose, and a flood of kids came in. But Minerva couldn't help but focus in on the boy standing there with a fierce gaze and a book grasped in both hands. Corey, who had spoken with Minerva earlier that day, simply gave them all a wave before making his way through the quickly filling front room, glancing at the clock.

"I take it grandfather's not coming this year," he chuckled.

"He has a houseguest this year," Aurelius explained. "And he said something about wanting to go down an check things at the mine while he was off work."

"Is he going to be down there long?" Natalie frowned.

"I'm sure they'll be back by your birthday," Corey reassured her. "Hullo, Mom! Still in the kitchen? Where's Dad?"

"Where do you suppose?" Jennifer said, giving Michael his bottle and ignoring Alicia's protests to let her do it. Corey nodded and banged on the basement door repeatedly until finally Severus popped it open and glared at him.

"You would think an alchemist would be aware that certain potions are highly sensitive to ground movement, let alone noise," he snapped.

"In that case, the place would have blown up the moment we got here," Corey reasoned. "Your grandson would like to have a word with you."

"It couldn't have waited five more minutes?" Severus complained, but came out anyway, wiping his hands off with a cloth before following Corey into the front room. It was then that Charles the Third stomped over and held out a large tome.

"This isn't my book," he said flatly.

"No?" Severus said expressionlessly, ignoring Corey's amused expression.

"It doesn't have the right stories in it. Somebody switched it." Charles the Third said, glaring at his siblings accusingly.

"I told him that was the same book, but the silly _child_ won't listen!" Hope said indignantly. "He insists that they were in the book and they weren't all made up, because he thinks you don't make things up, Grandfather." Severus was well aware that Charles' gaze hadn't left him.

"I didn't make those stories up. I simply embellished them a tad. Each one was based on an actual event," Severus said defensively, as knowing grins were passed around the room.

"Well, this book is stupid. I want my old book back!" Charles said.

"Milk!" Janus said, pointing at his grandfather accusingly. Alex cringed and pretended she didn't hear him. Lucky snickered softly.

"Fine, give me that, and I will try to find your old book for you," Severus said, taking the book and musing if he should pull out a book in a different language to try out on him instead. "It might take a bit," he added.

"I'll wait," Charles said, and sat down, as if expecting it at any moment.

"Perhaps we should gather to light the Log," Jennifer suggested.

"Mum to the rescue again," Andrew chuckled as Rose gathered Charles up and they quickly reassembled, while Jennifer and Severus went to the fireplace with their wands out, Jennifer watching him and waiting for a cue.

Severus hesitated momentarily, seeing Jennifer's expectant face. He then glanced at Aurelius thoughtfully, until finally he found himself gazing at Lucky's stony disconnected expression and suddenly felt as if he regained his focus.

"May we learn from the past, and not be trapped by it," Severus said in a low voice, gazing back at Jennifer who had gotten solemn. "May we be look towards the future, but not be blinded by it. And may we live in the present, and make the most of every moment." Jennifer smiled and nodded and the two of them lit the Yule Log, a smattering of applause going out as Jennifer, Alex and Alicia brought out trays from the kitchen and Severus simply plucked his glass of Black Anise wine off the mantle to sip.

"That was very good, Severus," Minerva said as everyone began getting settled again. "Although from the way you hesitated, I was expecting a full blown speech."

"I found myself thinking of the year that Jennifer lost her memories, actually," Severus said.

"Oh no, please don't tell that gingerbread story again," Corey pleaded, Jennifer nodding in agreement. Everyone else chuckled, except for Charles who was looking up at him hopefully.

"No, I was thinking more about the accident with the Pensieve, and how Jackie decided to take the worst of Jennifer's memories rather than have none at all," Severus said, and Jennifer smiled softly at him, sitting down near where he was standing. "And I was thinking that if I had faced some of my worst memories, I do not think I would have been brave enough to do the same."

"Considering how many deaths you had to witness in those early years, Severus, I doubt anyone would blame you for that," Minerva said. "Although I admit, I probably wouldn't have taken them either."

"I know I wouldn't have, although one look at my Pensieve collection would have probably scared me out of looking to see what was in them," Corey chuckled.

"I certainly wouldn't have," Aurelius said quietly, and Alex, Alicia and Andrew all chimed in firm agreement.

"Gimme a break," Lucky snorted, folding her arms and shaking her head. She had been so quiet up until then that most of them had forgotten she was even there. "There ain't nuthin' you got that could be worse than what I want to forget." The room grew quiet; only the crackle of the fire and Rus' babbling could be heard, and Minerva looked around curiously at the reaction.

"Not that it could possibly be measured, considering that memories are completely subjective," Severus said evenly, glancing around. "But I admit I am curious as to what memories were the turning point to your deciding not to take them in a similar situation. I was thinking of several for myself, although the first thing that came to mind for me was everything that happened the night that Lyra died," he said. He immediately felt a hand on his wrist and sat down on the arm of Jennifer's chair. "I don't suppose anyone else would care to share what the first thing that came to their minds was?"

"I know what might have been the first on several of our minds," Alex said, trying to adjust her arm, for Janus had fallen asleep. "The way Mum looked when Malfoy revealed that he had been torturing her for months."

"I was thinking about that too," Andrew admitted.

"Same here," Aurelius said.

"So was I," Alicia murmured.

"Strange," Corey began, the others gazing in his direction. "You know, I've had a great many close calls over the years, from daggers, Bludgers, to brooms, but the first thing that came into my mind was the night that Professor Dumbledore told me that my parents had died two days before."

"We were trying to spare your Christmas, Corey," Minerva said gently, and Corey nodded to her.

"I know that," Corey said, nodding to her. "I suppose in a similar situation I'd have done the same thing. But I felt so guilty after that about having fun when they were getting murdered that Christmas Eve was a living nightmare to me for years."

"Is it now?" Natalie asked worriedly, but Corey smiled.

"No, you cured me of that the night you were born," Corey said. "And even though that night it looked as if the world was on the verge of coming to an end, the moment I saw you, I knew we would survive somehow."

"What a horribly dark Christmas that was!" Alex agreed.

"Not as bad as the year before when we had to go running for our lives out of this very house, and me in Andrew's night shirt, no less," Aurelius said.

"And what of two years before that, when I had to pull you off the top of the Astrology Tower to keep you from jumping?" Andrew said.

"That night I'd rather remember," Aurelius said, gazing at his father. "Although I admit it was a rotten Christmas having to stay at the school after losing the Broom Closet."

"I have twelve Christmases that I would like to forget," Sirius said. "And everything the came in between them."

"My worst Christmas was that first after my father and mother fled Voldemort," Jennifer said quietly. "We were lucky to have even had anything to eat that year, and I certainly didn't expect to get anything. My father gave me the Mallus wand that year rather than nothing at all."

"Yes, my worst Christmas stems from my childhood as well," Severus said, gazing over at Anna. "The night our parents died and I unintentionally killed the man who did it out of anger."

"You wouldn't have survived had you not done it, Severus," Sirius said evenly.

"Yes, I know that now, of course, but at that age I only understood that I had done something irreparable and had blood on my hands," Severus said. "I had simply reacted from survival instinct, without any thought to any consequences, and that moment pivoted my life in a completely different direction than it might have taken had it not happened. My uncle didn't want me. The Ministry was terrified of me, and both of them wanted me committed. Had Dumbledore not taken me in, I never would have come out of it, even though it took me years of missteps and practically killing you before I realized it."

"Glad to have been of service," Sirius said dryly.

"My parents died around Christmas too," Lucky murmured, but when she felt eyes on her she suddenly realized she had said it out loud. "Can I turn in? I'm feeling kinda tired," she said.

"Certainly, Lucky," Jennifer said, and Severus nodded as well, but no one said anything for a while, listening to the sound of her footsteps on the stairs.

"Milk," Janus said sleepily.

"Alright," Alex said, carefully getting up. "I think I'd better put him to sleep as well."

"Be right back," Ben agreed, carrying Rus upstairs behind her. Severus looked around thoughtfully, but most were looking off in the direction of the stairs, except for Minerva who was gazing at him fixedly.

"Your pardon, Minerva, I suppose that was a grim conversation for Yule," Severus said.

"It was unusual," Minerva said with a lopsided smile, swirling her wine glass. "Interesting, but unusual," she added. "Nor have I ever heard you speak so openly about anything before, Severus, although I got the impression that you were speaking to a particular person in the room rather than in general."

"An astute observation," Severus said expressionlessly, tapping his glass gently and watching as it refilled.

"I've had years of experience watching how Headmasters work. You seem to have picked up some habits," Minerva said.

"He's brilliant at it, actually," Jennifer said, still holding securely onto his arm.

"There is something I am wondering, if I may, Jennifer," Francis said, and Jennifer gazed at him curiously. "A lot of things have happened since you lost your memories, many of which were brought up just a moment ago. Do you suppose you would have chosen differently now than you had then?"

"I would have chosen the same," Jennifer said with such certainty that even Severus gazed at her questioningly. "Even after everything else that's happened, Keki's death was the worst thing that's ever happened to me," she explained quietly. "In some ways, it hurt worse than my mother's death, for I was there to witness it, and even after regaining that part of me I lost to her, the memory of losing her remains. Nothing short of losing Severus or one of the children could possibly come close to what I went through that day, and since I chose to keep that memory then, I'm fairly sure I'd choose it again, even along with everything else that's happened since. After all, it is like Severus said; the past should be seen as a learning experience, not as a punishment."

"You are the one who taught me that," Severus said quietly.

"Lay it on thick, Dad," Corey grinned, Rose nudging him slightly for commenting on it.

"Seriously, someone open the vent and let some of this smarmy heat out," Aurelius agreed.

"Fine, if you're going to be that way about it, I'm done talking," Severus said, and reached behind the couch to get his violin case, a large round of protests going up.

"Why don't we just let your portrait play instead? He's gotten quite good, you know," Andrew suggested quickly as Severus worked to open his case. Severus paused and stared at him.

"He has a point, actually," Aurelius put in. "That portrait of you sounded much improved the last time I heard him playing in Mum's office."

"Impossible," Severus said flatly, taking out his violin. "It's nothing more than a bit of ghost paint and Francis' workmanship, there is no way a portrait can actually learn anything new…"

"What about the sign language?" Alicia pointed out.

"That is different, as you know very well. Paintings are charmed to adapt their language skills so they can be interpreted in today's English. I'm certain he was able to pick it up because of it," Severus said.

"Music can be considered a language by some, Severus," Jennifer said with a grin.

"Not by paintings," Severus said firmly, putting the violin under his chin. But just as he lifted his bow and before he could draw them across the strings, a sweet not rang out from directly behind him. He whirled around in surprise to see his own image had snuck into the painting of Corey in the backyard, and was playing his favorite Mendelssohn at a devilish pace and with the precision of a master. His jaw dropped in surprise until he saw in the reflection of the mirror on the wall the grins being past behind him and he clamped it shut, growing more annoyed by the minute. Finishing that particular section of the piece, the portrait paused and looked around questioningly and received a standing ovation.

"Showoff," Severus muttered under his breath, the portrait simply smirking at him in response.

* * *

Ambrose Bailey had a rather disagreeable Yule. His mother had invited Bart over for dinner, and had insisted he take a full bath, nails trimmed and best suit on and his hair slicked down and even worse, parted down the middle. It involved a rather informal introduction between them as if they had never met before, and then went into a somewhat sour (in Ambrose's opinion) attempt at a family gathering despite the fact that except for the Log itself, Ashley had to stop and explain a lot of the traditions involved.

Finally his mother got him settled with a piping hot mug of cider with a cinnamon stick, tea for the two of them and biscuits. Ambrose was only partially aware that they were talking about him, for his mind was constantly on his father, for he had yet told his mother that he knew, despite the fact that a million questions raced through his head about it. The talk turned to the Order of the Owls, but Ambrose gazed out the window until he heard his name and looked up to see his mother's frowning face.

"My goodness, you look to be a million miles away tonight! Are you all right, Ambrose?" Ashley asked.

"Oh, I'm fine, sorry," Ambrose said with a grin. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"You're always thinking," Ashley tsked, and Ambrose found her straightening his hair again. "I was just telling Bart about your tapestry. Why don't you go get it?" Ambrose blinked in surprise.

"You really want me to show him?" Ambrose asked in surprise.

"Well, why wouldn't I?" Ashley answered back, also surprised. "It's very good, Ambrose, let's see it. He's so modest," she said with exasperation as he slowly got up.

"A good trait for anyone with his talents to have," Bart said approvingly.

Ambrose went over to his school trunk and began digging in it, carefully pulling out the tapestry loom, which looked much taller than the box he pulled it out of, looking over his work carefully.

"We have a visitor tonight. Everyone ready for visitors?" he asked the figures on the tapestry. The simple knights and maidens in the background saluted and curtseyed in response, while in the foreground, Arthur was too busy being crowned to pay attention to anything else, while Lancelot, Gawain and the rest stood solemnly watching. Merlin, who seemed to never be too busy to comment, straightened his court robes thoughtfully.

"Oh, well, now that you mention it, my beard is much longer than I normally like," Merlin said. "Any longer and I might get a creak in the neck. I don't suppose you could manage a trim?"

"Well, your beard is an awful lot lower than your head, so if I unraveled the thread to fix it, I'd have to take your head off too," Ambrose explained. "And your neck."

"Ah. Good point. Best let's just leave it then," Merlin decided, and Ambrose broke into a grin, carefully picking up the frame and bringing it in the small living room, setting it back up.

"Here it is," Ambrose said, stepping away from it and looking between them.

"Why! You've done so much more on it since this summer!" Ashley said with surprise, gazing at the Merlin figure, who had attempted to take off his hat only to realize that half of it wasn't finished yet, and was resigned to leave it on. "And so accurate!"

"Who is the tall fellow up there on the tower you're working on? I swear I saw him move just now," Bart said.

"That's Merlin, the greatest wizard ever," Ambrose said. Ashley gazed at his serious face curiously. "I used a painting at the school to copy him, but I'm afraid I got the beard a bit too long."

"A bit?" Merlin said, looking down towards his chest. "I could probably hide a polar bear in that."

"Blimey! It talked!" Bart said with amazement.

"So it did. Ambrose, I don't mean to be critical, for it is such a lovely tapestry, but perhaps it would be better of you made Merlin in the same style as the others you've woven, nice and simple," Ashley said, gazing at the figure worriedly.

"But there's nothing simple about him, Mum," Ambrose argued. "He's even more complex than the story itself, although it's filled with intrigues and conflicts as much mental as physical. But all of the struggles that Arthur and his court went through to try and rise mankind above its current stage of chaos is just one chapter in one volume of his life, and probably not one of his favorite at that. So, he has to be more detailed, because he's the one truly carrying the story… well, at least until Viviane showed up and tricked him into solitude because she thought he was interfering too much, at least that's what I think happened from what I've read."

"You've been reading about it at school?" Ashley asked.

"Yes, and I borrowed some books from the library so I could research it for the tapestry," Ambrose explained.

"Do you like to read a lot?" Bart asked with a smile.

"Yes. History is my favorite subject," Ambrose said.

"Really? It was my least favorite," Bart said with a chuckle. "Here, I know. How about you and me take a trip to the city tomorrow, and we can maybe have lunch and a chat and make a day of it?"

"Oh. All right," Ambrose said with a solemn nod, agreeing more for his mother's sake than for his own. Ashley smiled uncertainly at him, not sure what to make of her son's reaction. "Can I have some more cider, Mum?"

"Of course! And let me get us some more tea as well," Ashley said with a smile, but her mind was filled with questions that didn't get answered when Ambrose decided to turn in early.

Ambrose stirred early the next morning, feeling a crisp winter breeze tickling his nose and a high pitched trilling sound that seemed familiar but he couldn't quite pinpoint it. He shifted, but more of the cold came in. He wrapped himself up in the blankets, threatening to fall back to sleep, when he saw a flutter at the window and blearily focused in on the beautiful blue bird peering at him. Immediately he sat up and was wide-awake.

"Halcyon!" Ambrose said with excitement, and the bird simply eyed him and flew back out the window. "Look, Archimedes, Mr. Toby is back! Let's go see him!" Ambrose said, immediately getting a bobbing head in response as he quickly threw on some clothes and his jacket and went running out the door.

It was snowing, and from the coverage on the ground, it had been snowing for some time. Ambrose slipped and slid down the street, having trouble getting his footing in the deep snow, ignoring the signs on Toby's door and pushing his way inside. The shelves were starting to fill back up again, and the incomparable tinker was sitting behind the counter, smiling warmly at him.

"Mr. Toby! You're back!" Ambrose said happily as Archimedes decided to take his old perch on the shelf behind the counter.

"And so are you, I see! Goodness, Ambrose, what are you wearing on your feet?" Toby asked, and Ambrose looked down to see he was still wearing his dragon-shaped night slippers.

"I knew I was forgetting something," Ambrose chuckled at himself.

"Well, grab that pair of snow boots off the shelf and take those off to dry while I get you some cocoa," Toby suggested.

Ambrose did as he was told, walking up to the counter in his bare feet with his soggy slippers in one hand and the pair of boots (apparently in his size and with clean socks in the holes) in the other. While Toby put the shoes near a small wooden stove and picked up the kettle, Ambrose found himself starting at the wall of shingled notes in awe.

"It's grown, hasn't it?"

"Well, I have so many things that I want to remember," Toby chuckled. "And before you ask, I don't have enough room for that many Pensieves. Care for some marshmallows? Of course, they're not real marshmallows, they're puffed sugar, but they're more tasty than the real thing in cocoa anyway. So, what brings you out so early today and without the proper footwear?"

"I woke up to see Halcyon sitting on my windowsill in my bedroom," Ambrose said.

"Was he? He must have been wondering how you were getting on," Toby said with a smile, setting a cup in front of him.

"I was hoping that you were wanting to see me," Ambrose admitted.

"Well, I admit I might have been curious," Toby winked. "How have you been doing in school?"

"Fine I guess," Ambrose said. "Actually, I probably didn't do as well on my last tests as I could have except for History. I've been a little distracted lately."

"Happens to the best of us," Toby chuckled, whittling on a wooden turtle. "And what's got you so distracted, if I might ask?"

"Well, part of it is a secret that I'm not allowed to tell anyone about," Ambrose admitted.

"Best you keep it safe then," Toby advised, and Ambrose nodded. "And the other part?"

"Mum's getting married again," Ambrose sighed.

"Ah yes, she told me," Toby said with a nod. "In fact, she came to me for advice on whether or not to consider it."

"Really? And you didn't talk her out of it?" Ambrose said. Toby blinked.

"I don't believe in talking people out of things, Mr. Bailey. Not when it's so much easier to talk them _into_ things instead," Toby said indignantly. Ambrose grinned at that. "All I said was that it is important she does whatever she feels is best for herself and her family. Why, did you want me to talk her out of it?"

"I just want her to be happy," Ambrose said glumly, putting his head on the counter. Toby patted his shoulder comfortably.

"And she just wants you to be happy, and safe," Toby said with a smile.

"I know," Ambrose said, but didn't sound any more cheerful about it. "It's a bit of a rum deal though, if you ask me."

"I don't know, I rather like rum now and again, especially warm and spiced," Toby chuckled.

"Actually, he's going to take me to the city today to try and make friends," Ambrose said.

"Don't you want to be friends?" Toby asked.

"Oh, well, yes I do, actually. Friends I don't mind. But if he thinks he can replace my father, he's got another thing coming," Ambrose said fiercely. Toby sighed.

"Ambrose, I don't think he's trying to replace much of anybody. I think Bart is just trying to be himself, a skilled but lonely farmer who finally has the freedom after a long life of caring for his mother to settle down and have a family of his own. And then Ashley happens by to check on him, a lovely and caring woman bringing family as if made to order."

"That about sums me up. Made to order," Ambrose sighed, gazing at the shop. "Like a common present on one of these shelves."

"Have some more cocoa," Toby said quickly, turning around more so he could grimace full force rather than actually wanting to get the kettle. Just then Halcyon let out a trill to indicate someone was at the door, and Ambrose turned around to see his mother standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Ambrose Bailey! Where are your shoes?" Ashley asked with exasperation.

"Oh, don't worry, Mrs. Bailey," Toby said. "His slippers got a bit damp in the snow but he found himself some boots and socks just there."

"Well then, put them on and run home at once. Your breakfast is getting cold on the table and you have to get ready for your outing," she scolded.

"Yes, Mum," Ambrose said quickly reaching for the socks Toby handed him. Ashley attempted to get out a few coins, but Toby put his hand over the jar so she couldn't put them in. Sighing at him, she put them back. "I'm sorry I left without telling you, but Mr. Toby was back."

"So I see!" Ashley said with exasperation. "Run along home, I'll be along in a moment. And your breakfast had better be finished!"

"Yes, Mum," Ambrose said, taking the offered slippers from Toby before hurrying out the door. Archimedes hooted once, apparently having decided to stay for a little longer. Ashley shook her head, turning to the counter to find her favorite kind of tea waiting in front of her.

"I'm so glad you're back at last. I was rather worried, in fact. I thought you'd have been back the moment Ambrose came home."

"I had intended on it, but it seems that crossing over with two companions slowed the transition a bit. No trouble with _her_, I hope?"

"Not since that time in Keki's Grove, no," Ashley said.

"Well, don't let your guard down, I'm sure she's still watching," Toby sighed.

"There is one thing you ought to know, though. I believe Ambrose knows you're his father," Ashley said quietly.

"No, he just knows that Merlin is his father," Toby said with slight amusement. "And yes, I knew that already. There was a recent incident at the castle and I had not choice but to tell him. In fact, I rather think it's for the best. To be honest, I think the only one who didn't think he was ready was his godfather," he said with amusement.

"Well, maybe Severus did have a point, because now I wonder if he isn't obsessing over it a bit. He's made incredible progress with the tapestry and all of it seems to have been geared towards putting Merlin in his tower and with such an extreme level of detail that he's quite animated. Apparently he copied the image off of a painting in the castle," Ashley said.

"Did he?" Toby said with a beaming smile and a sparkle in his eyes.

"When I asked him about it, he said he was doing research and had borrowed some books. Well, I went through his locker this morning, and I've found over a dozen books, some about that time period but most just about you in general and your work establishing modern magic."

"Really?" Toby said, sounding even more interested, but then thought about it and blinked. "Goodness, I hope he has the sense not to believe _everything_ they say about me in those books," he said. Ashley rolled her eyes at him and shook her head at him admonishingly. "Now, I don't think you need to worry. It's only natural for the boy to want to know his heritage, and sooner or later it would have all come out anyhow. I'm sure between you and this likeness of me he's conjured up, you can keep him from straying into believing some of the wilder tales out there… hm, wait, those are the ones most likely to be true, aren't they," Toby mused.

"Well, I hope you are going to help too," Ashley tsked at him, but Toby frowned. "Won't you?"

"I'll do my best," he finally agreed, deciding it would be best not to worry her.

"That's all I ask," Ashley said with a loving smile. "Really, though, you do leave me with my hands full. He really is so much like you in so many ways."

"Yes, but with ten years of the best sort of love to support him. I've made some whopper mistakes in my life, you know. But choosing you to be his mother was definitely not one of them," Toby said sincerely.

"Nor was my agreeing to it. I can't imagine my life without Ambrose anymore. Either of you, really," she added.

"Now, don't be concerning yourself with me. Right now you should concentrate on the boy and your impending marriage," Toby insisted.

"You will give me away, though?" Ashley asked carefully. "Honestly, I wouldn't feel right if you didn't."

"If that is what you will make you happy, I'm more than willing… in this guise of course," he added mischievously.

"Of course," Ashley said, smiling warmly at him. "Thank you."

"Oh, at your service, madam," Toby said with a smile of his own, watching her backside appreciatively as she left. He sighed then, glancing up at his wall a moment before making one last note and sticking it full force onto the counter in front of him.


	27. Gifts of Time

Twenty-Seven

Gifts of Time

After having breakfast with Hermione at Hogwarts and then spending the morning watching Gritbiter and Sons as they worked to remove the old fountain, Severus and Albus walked back through the Dark Forest towards town. Despite Albus' tendency to stop at random intervals to inspect this, that or the other, Severus tolerantly let the old wizard set the pace. Albus seemed in no hurry to be anywhere at all, while Severus kept thinking of all he had left to do before Christmas. It was only inevitable after Albus stopped to pay his respects to Firenze that the subject of Lyra came into conversation, although at the time Severus wasn't quite sure how they ended up talking about it.

"I did everything in my power, and perhaps everything not in my power to try to stop it, but it was already too late," Severus murmured softly as they walked over the snow-laden path, neither of them leaving a trace of their passing. "I did everything but be there when she needed me."

"You can't be there all the time, Severus, regardless of the reason that you weren't there," Albus said gently. "In fact, I could easily argue that the whole point of teaching children anything is so that you don't have to be there all the time. And you are hardly the only Headmaster who has had to deal with a death, you know. I remember what a blow it was when Myrtle died… it affected Armando the rest of his life, as did what happened to Tom. He blamed himself for that to some extent, you know."

"Everyone knew that it wasn't," Severus said evenly.

"Everyone else but him, perhaps," Albus mused. "I thought about his reaction often over those darker years, when I began losing former students so quickly that I never felt as if I truly had time to seek any sort of closure, let alone time to mourn them. It all hit me like a brick when Cedric died, however; I felt all their deaths in that moment. But then, they weren't under the protection of the school when they died like Cedric was, that was my responsibility, and I was quite determined not to lose another. Of course, had it not been for my staff, I would have lost a great deal more, but I suppose that goes back to the fact that no one can be everywhere, doesn't it?"

"Yes, but you didn't abandon your students," Severus said. "I did."

"Did you?" Albus mused. "Well, we were just at the castle, Severus, and they looked in no way abandoned to me."

"Only because Jennifer stepped in, along with the rest of the staff," Severus said. Albus smiled, looking at him over the edge of his glasses.

"Which does nothing but prove my point, Severus. A Headmaster is truly only as good as his staff, after all. And even though my staff were the best staff for what was going back then, your staff is the best I have ever seen, even taking into consideration… and mayhap because of… being 'overrun' by Snapes," he said amusedly.

"I suppose I can't argue that point," Severus decided.

"Definitely not," Albus agreed. "You take on a lot of responsibilities that don't even belong on your desk, let alone in that study, and you'd be better off if you were a bit more discriminate. In fact, I can think of only one person I've ever met more inclined to do that than you."

"Jennifer," Severus said so quickly and with such certainty that Albus couldn't help but chuckle at it before nodding.

"Oh, yes. Without question," Albus agreed. "She inherited her mother's drive to help others in need in any way she can…"

"Yes, along with her father's do-whatever-it-takes-no-matter-what-it-involves determination," Severus said with exasperation. "I only hope she's careful with this mess she's gotten herself in."

"Oh, what sort of a mess?" Albus asked curiously.

"To put it in one sentence, I let Jennifer borrow Hufflepuff's Obol for a research project," Severus said. Albus stopped short.

"Oh dear," Albus said. Severus simply nodded. "Goodness, Severus, you of all people must have known what would become of that. I'm surprised that you did it."

"I had a weak moment," Severus shrugged. "In fact, I've been having quite a few of those lately. The lines between personal and professional have become blurred and harder to distinguish, and lately I feel that Jennifer has been taking advantage of that fact." Albus chuckled at the annoyed expression on his face as the two of them veered off a side path towards Keki's Grove.

"Well, Severus, it isn't necessarily all that bad of a thing, is it? I've always thought you've been at your best with Jennifer at your side rather than without," Albus said with a smile.

"And it took my making a complete and utter fool out of myself to truly understand that," Severus muttered.

"That doesn't surprise me," Albus chuckled. Severus frowned at him. "Severus, you have insisted on learning all your lessons the hard way since you were twelve."

"It isn't the hard knocks I mind. It is the fact that I always drag people down with me when my anger gets out of control. And this time it was the family, and Jennifer most of all," Severus said. Albus watched his hardened expression thoughtfully for a while.

"I have heard some conflicting reports about how Jennifer is doing, actually," Albus admitted. "Even before I arrived back here, Merlin was constantly commenting about how brilliant she was, while Minerva was quite worried about her when she had heard what had happened, despite the glowing report."

"Both were correct," Severus nodded, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. "Jennifer has been brilliant, gracious, courageous, and forgiving; and yet I haven't seen her so fragile in years. Do you recall how she became after we lost the Broom Closet?" he asked, and Albus nodded somberly. "Yes, well, that's rather how she is now, only it's not a house she's lost, but her trust and faith in me. The blind trust she had given me when we first met had been whittled and chipped down with every passing year, until I gave it its final blow. As much as she tries to fight it and put on her best face on towards me as well as towards everyone else, on a subconscious level, she has no intention of giving her trust to me or anyone else ever again."

"Give her some time, Severus. Truly, that is what she probably needs to the most; time and understanding," Albus said gently.

"Understanding I can give. Time is something else," Severus said. Albus let out a silent sigh and shook his head. "I'd much rather fix this and move on than let it haunt us any longer."

"Then what are you planning to do, Severus?" Albus said, sighing more audibly this time.

"The same as I have been doing lately. Absolutely nothing," Severus said. Albus raised a brow at him. "Unless she asks," he added in a low voice.

"That's a rather bold plan for you," Albus decided at last as they strolled through the Grove, pausing near the Lia Fal. "Are you sure you can handle that?"

"There's a first time for everything," Severus said dryly. "But she is not making it easy."

"Perhaps it's best that it isn't easy, Severus," Albus smiled as the two of them continued up the path back towards town. As they stepped away from the stone, Viviane stepped out from behind the Lia Fal, watching them leave.

"Fool," Viviane snorted to herself disapprovingly before fading into the shadows of the trees.

* * *

After a long evening at Corey's and an hour or two more of helping Jennifer get everything checked for the next morning, Severus had dreams of sleeping in on Christmas. He rolled over with a groan when he heard his name being called repeatedly, half afraid to look at the clock to check the time. Just then, the door opened and he squinted noticeably from the light, making Jennifer sigh with exasperation.

"Oh, honestly, Severus, do get up! Why ever did you go through all the trouble of having Aurelius stay for you this morning if all you planned to do was sleep all day! You might as well have stayed at the castle!" Jennifer scolded.

"I didn't ask him. He volunteered because he knew we had a guest this year," Severus mumbled.

"Well, that's neither here nor there, so why don't you come out and visit the boys? I'm going upstairs to check on Lucky… I do hope she likes what we got her," Jennifer said, puttering back out of the room.

Severus sighed and reluctantly got out of bed and got dressed, shuffling out to find Minerva seated comfortably on the couch with her tea watching quite contentedly as the living room became a conglomeration of wrapping paper and toys as the toddler and baby explored everything. It was simple to tell whose corner was whose. Lucky's niche still was untouched despite Jennifer's constant calls up the stairs to try and get her to come down. A large assortment of toys from blocks to balls to cuddlies was in Icarus' area, while Janus' stack apparently had a theme going; from the flying Hogwarts Express that Severus and Jennifer had given him, to the train toy box, train bank, train depot, train books, and tons and tons of small cars and trains and wooden tracks of all kinds that Ben was attempting to help him put into some sort of order, while Alex was still busy searching through packages. Some of the trains had faces on the fronts of them; rather moonlike and bloated in a way that Severus found rather disturbing.

"Good morning," Severus said. "Got you up early, did they?"

"Quite all right," Minerva chuckled.

"Did you get your present, Minerva?" Severus asked.

"Yes, thank you," Minerva said with amusement, glancing at the ornate Quidditch Box.

"Albus mentioned you had been considering teaching the Fae some new sports, so when he told me that he and Merlin had arranged for Quidditch rings to be put into the rugby stadium that you could use a new set to go with it," he explained.

"Yes, thank you, Severus," Minerva said. "Although I can't imagine it being that exciting a game. If you only knew how often they stop in the middle of a rugby game and help each other up; quite comical. If there is one thing I've learned from moving to the other side is that there is such a thing as taking good sportsmanship too far," she said with amusement.

"Train?" Ben said for the tenth time that morning, but Janus had noticed movement.

"Milk!" Janus said with a frown, pointing at Severus.

"Don't say that! Bad word, Janus!" Alex scolded, but he completely ignored her, still point at him. Ben simply sighed.

"What exactly is he accusing you of?" Minerva asked.

"Teaching him his one and only English word, I'm afraid," Severus said evenly.

"My goodness, that is a crime," Minerva chuckled.

"He really is quite smart," Alex said defensively. "I rather think he'd talk on his own in time if everyone stopped badgering him about it."

"Milk," Janus agreed.

"Can we not argue about this today? Really, it's Christmas, Alex," Ben sighed, and Alex quieted down and began digging under the tree again.

"Mamamamama!" Rus began to chant while he chewed on one of his blocks, but he wasn't looking towards Alex. It was then that Severus glanced up at the mirror to see Jennifer trying to sneak up behind him.

"Point that camera at me, Jennifer, and it'll be the last you see of it for awhile," Severus warned, and Jennifer slumped. Minerva looked up with amusement to see her pull out the camera she was hiding under her arm. "Or did you forget about what happened the last time you tried that?"

"He took the film out," Jennifer said with exasperation, stepping aside so Lucky could groggily make her way to the kitchen for coffee. "And then he pulled it all out as if it were ribbon. And I had some of Rus' first baby photos on there!"

"Then I suggest you not point that thing at me again, so you don't lose whatever it is you have on that roll," Severus said calmly.

"Still don't like cameras?" Minerva inquired. "I would have thought you'd have gotten over that by now, for I'm sure there's a fair share of newspaper clippings of you…"

"Even those are few and far between," Jennifer complained. "He turns his back to the camera the moment that he sees one. I have the one good photo of him on the card, a couple from our wedding, and the painting, and that is all."

"That is more than sufficient, in fact more than enough considering how troublesome that painting is," he muttered.

"You're only annoyed that he plays the violin better than you do," Jennifer teased.

"Don't worry, Mum. I happen to have the perfect solution to the problem!" Alex declared, pulling a box out from under the table.

"Music lessons?" Minerva guessed, getting a dirty look from Severus.

"Oh no, not _that,_ I meant about the camera, of course," Alex said with exasperation, handing her the box. Ben grinned at her knowingly, while Severus squinted suspiciously as Jennifer cautiously opened the box, pulling out shaped foam and prying it apart

"Oh, it's a new camera?" Jennifer asked questioningly. "My, it's a lot thinner than mine, isn't it?"

"That's because it's a special sort of camera. Oh, well, the photos don't move about like you're used to, Mum, because it's a Muggle camera, but I think you'll like it anyways," Alex grinned. "It doesn't use film."

"What? No film? Then what good is it?" Jennifer frowned.

"It's a digital camera," Ben explained. "Instead of film, it uses a computer chip, so it can take a lot more photos than yours can, and you don't have to keep the bad photos, just the good ones. On top of all that, you can make as many copies as you like."

"Really?" Jennifer said, her face lighting up. "But this is marvelous! How do I use it? Now, where did he go?" Jennifer asked with exasperation when she saw the empty seat beside Minerva. She pointed casually behind her towards the dining room and kitchen.

"Quickly, Fortuna, tell me how exactly do I dismantle a digital camera?" Severus asked Lucky the moment he slipped into the kitchen.

"Why should I help you?" Lucky snorted.

"Because Jennifer likes to take pictures of you when you are asleep," Severus said curtly. "Do you really want endless copies of that getting out?" Lucky didn't have to think about it very long.

"Three parts. Batteries, memory chip, and cable reader that puts it into the computer," Lucky said.

"Well, I know what batteries are at least…" he murmured.

"The chip is a little square thing that slides into the camera. There's a groove…"

"Severus, really! You could at least look at it," Jennifer said with exasperation from the living room. "Come look at the screen in the back, it really is quite interesting."

"In the back?" Severus repeated, glancing at Lucky who smiled thinly and walked into the fray while Severus followed more slowly behind as Ben showed Jennifer where the buttons were.

"Oh, Lucky, stand in front of the tree…watch the train car under your feet… there we are! Severus, come look! I don't have to squint through a glass anymore!" Jennifer said as he came up behind her. "See, there's a big screen in the back!"

"Ah yes, here, let me see that…" Severus said, glancing at it a moment before handing it back to her. "Yes, that's quite interesting."

"Honestly, Severus, you didn't look at it very long," Jennifer said, fiddling with it, while his glance at Lucky indicated that he had it long enough. Lucky grinned and carefully backed to the corner with Ben's computer. "I can't get it working now. How do I take a picture again?" Jennifer asked after pushing several buttons.

"Wait a minute," Ben said and then sighed, looking over at Severus knowingly as he held up a chip and a set of batteries, and Lucky held up a USB cable. "I think we just got sabotaged."

"Oh, Severus!" Jennifer scowled.

"These are now being held hostage until certain demands are met," Severus informed her. "Which includes not taking any pictures of Fortuna unawares or without her permission, and not taking any pictures of me… ever," he said with a firm, thin, smile. Jennifer pouted. "And if you do, we'll find a way to permanently take these things away."

"Ya, and I know how to wipe out the computer too," Lucky said.

"And she has my full permission to do so," Severus said evenly.

"Very well, Severus, I promise," Jennifer sighed, and reluctantly Severus handed them over to Ben, Lucky doing the same.

"What do all these things do?" Jennifer asked Ben in a low voice, handing him the camera so he could fix it.

Minerva chuckled softly as Severus sat down again, while Lucky finally decided to inspect her presents, while feigning a look of complete disinterest. Picking up a large box, she studied it for a moment and shook it. It was so obviously a shoebox that she tossed it aside in favor of the small flat packages that she knew were probably games for her console.

"Ja! Ja! Ja!" Rus babbled, and Severus looked down to see he had managed to scoot over to Janus' side of the toys and had his hands around one of the trains with faces on them.

"Rus wants to play too," Alex told Janus when he started trying to pull all his trains out of Rus' reach. "You can let him borrow that one, can't you?"

"Milk!" Janus protested.

"They're not going anywhere," Alex sighed, as Janus decided to start packing them in his new toy box. "It won't hurt you to share!"

"Milk!" Janus said accusingly, pointing at his brother, who was contentedly chewing on the train.

"He isn't hurting it, Janus, he's just teething," Alex said, but gently took the train away and tried to hand it to Janus, but Janus folded his arms as if he didn't want it anymore.

"Ah, a bit of healthy jealously, going on, I see," Minerva said amusedly as Rus wailed in protest until Ben handed him a block and he contentedly started chewing on that instead. "You'll have him talking in no time, if you play your cards right," she added in a softer voice that only Severus could hear, and he looked between them thoughtfully. A flash distracted him, but Jennifer was simply taking a photo of the grandchildren.

"Oh, Lucky, put those silly manuals down and open something more real. Why don't you try that box?" Jennifer suggested.

"It's just shoes," Lucky complained, reaching for a small but somewhat heavy package, glancing at the tag. Grimacing when she saw who it was from, she tried to put it back.

"No, open that one, Lucky! I know who that's from," Jennifer insisted. Lucky sighed and picked it back up. "One of my Enchanted Items majors made it, he's been working on it since last year," she explained to Minerva. "Really, Lucky, be nice, he had a devil of a time making it."

Sighing, she opened it, frowning when she saw a strange wooden box of beautifully polished mahogany box with a panel that slid out on one side but had been securely fastened with ornate clips. On the panel was a set of what looked like peg holes evenly spaced along the surface. Curiously, Lucky dug in the gift box until she found what looked like an ear, reminding her immediately of the odd doors they had in the school when the paintings were sick. Then she found a rather plain but obvious mouth, and a little red knob that almost looked like a red clown nose. Frowning, she put the three pieces she found in the pegs, staring at it.

"Just what I wanted. A Mr. Potato Box," Lucky snorted.

"A what?" Jennifer chuckled at her, giving her an odd look. "No, it's a music recorder! Inside the box is a collection of memory crystals along with another sort of crystal that helps resonance. The ear lets you record music and the mouth lets you hear what's recorded, and the knob does different things based on what peg it's in, but basically it lets you set up what it plays."

"Yeah, but it has no screen. How do I know what it's going to play next to adjust it?" Lucky wondered, pulling out a note.

"Perhaps you may have to play it by ear," Minerva said with amusement, ignoring the scathing look she got from Severus for the pun.

"There's actually another piece he was working on, but I'm not sure he got it done in time," Jennifer admitted, watching as Lucky pulled out a note, rolling her eyes. "Well?"

"Oh…uh, he says, 'I finally got an MP3 Player that works right in Hogwarts… well, sort of. I realize it's a little big and the controls take some getting used to, but you'll find it'll do basically everything, although you will need a quiet room if you wanna record off the wireless or any other devices. I also have a set of earphones, but have had trouble miniaturizing the magnets and figured you wouldn't want the Princess Leia look, but at least you can listen to music no matter where you are now. P.S. Some of the choir and all of the Second Chance stuff is already on there so you can test it. I even snuck it in the recording studio to get our new single in there, but don't let Mom know I did it,'" Lucky smirked.

"Recording studio?" Minerva repeated.

"Dale is a bit of a Muggle celebrity… he's Myrine Mohanan's son," Severus explained.

"Oh no, is he as much trouble as she was?" Minerva chuckled.

"Not at all, curiously enough," Severus said.

"Well, he's not a real celebrity as far as I'm concerned. He just sells tabloids," Lucky said.

"So do you after earlier this week, Lucky," Ben chuckled. Jennifer and Severus frowned at him. "Someone must have figured out she was the same girl who was sitting by Dale and Duffy at the Galaxy game because lately they've been showing that picture but including her in it," he said, going over to the computer to bring it up on one of the fansites.

"What? Oh great!" Lucky glowered, reading the _'Mystery Girl on the Sidelines'_ byline underneath the photo.

"Why am I not surprised?" Severus scowled. "Lucky, no more trips to Muggle London by yourself for awhile."

"Yeah, yeah," Lucky said in annoyance, sitting back down. "But I'm still not sorry I belted him."

"Lucky, you still have another present to open," Jennifer reminded her, and Lucky looked over at the shoebox unenthusiastically. "Honestly, you could at least look at them, considering they're probably one of your most expensive presents." Severus blinked at that.

"How much?" Severus asked flatly.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Jennifer murmured, and watched as Lucky reluctantly open the box. But her expression turned from prejudiced dislike to complete shock and amazement as she pulled out the gaudiest pair of shoes that Severus had ever seen in his life.

"Predator SGs!" Lucky gawked. "Wow, these aren't knock-offs!"

"Knock-offs! I don't do knock-offs," Jennifer tsked at her, then grinned at her reaction.

"XTrax and Power Swerve and the latest cleats and… well these are the microfiber ones rather than the kangaroo leather, but that's probably better for sweating anyhow. I bet it don't matter how muddy the field gets wearing these… I gotta try 'em on!" Lucky declared, jumping up and hurrying out of the room.

"Wait, can't you do that in here?" Jennifer asked with exasperation. "I want to make sure those fit!"

"I gotta get my socks!" Lucky explained, running up the stairs.

"Was any of that even in English?" Severus asked. Minerva chuckled.

"She did go on about them as if it were a new broom, didn't she?" Minerva agreed.

"Oh, I guarantee you that's the same as getting a broom as far as Lucky's concerned," Ben grinned.

"Well, that's good, considering I probably paid about the same," Jennifer admitted. Severus stared at her.

"For a pair of shoes that look as if they just came off a circus clown?" Severus asked flatly.

"Have you ever seen Lucky get that excited about anything?" Jennifer interrupted. Severus pondered that.

"No," he admitted.

"Then it was well worth the price," Jennifer concluded with a smile. But before he could comment further, there was a horrendous clatter thundering down the stairs as Lucky came down in her full football uniform, stopping short of the door only because Jennifer had shouted her name in complete exasperation.

"Uh, ya, can I go to Aviation Park, Jackie? No Muggles there," she added.

"Fine, but only until lunch," Severus said before Jennifer could protest. As Lucky wisely scrambled out, Jennifer turned around with her hands on her hips. "Well, Jennifer, you got her new shoes for running, did you honestly expect her to stay put? Besides, we haven't gotten to our presents yet."

"Probably a good time to put Rus down for a nap anyhow," Ben said, Rus not protesting as he was picked up, but not letting go of the block in his hand, either.

"Alex, why don't you put Janus in the pen as well for a bit?" Severus suggested.

"Pick out a toy to take in the pen with you, Janus," Alex said. Janus frowned at her a moment but then grabbed a hold of a handle on the toy box, attempting to budge it despite all of his trains were in it. Chuckling, Alex tolerantly picked it up and put it in the playpen with him.

"Here, Alex," Ben said, bringing a big box back downstairs with him.

"Oh, it's heavy!" Alex said in surprise, quickly working off the paper. "Oh wow, it's a juicer!" she beamed.

"That is a juicer?" Jennifer said skeptically. "Why is it so big? It's nearly the size of my coffee maker."

"Don't worry, it won't be out all the time," Alex promised.

"You could put practically anything in that, and you don't have to peel anything either, it goes in, skin and all," Ben explained. "Fruit, vegetables, mix and match as you like…"

"I'm going to go try it out!" Alex said excitedly. "Just think, we can make our own pumpkin juice!" she said, Jennifer blinking when she thought about it.

"I hope you're at least going to peel that!" Jennifer called back, turning back around. "You don't suppose she's going to get carried away with that thing, do you?"

"Of course she will, she's your daughter," Minerva said amusedly, getting a dirty look from Jennifer.

"Speaking overdoing it, care to guess which one is yours, Jennifer?" Severus asked casually.

"The large one with the Tassels and Panning standard gold gift wrap I'd say," Jennifer said with amusement, pulling it out from under the tree. "Although it's awful big, isn't it? I have two jewelry boxes already, and one isn't even full yet."

"Yes, well, a bit of compensation of sorts, considering their support over the years, and they were a bit put out when they heard I had bought something from Maryced's earlier that week for Fortuna," Severus said.

"And there it sits, under the tree still wrapped," Jennifer said with exasperation, while pulling out another small box.

"I'm sure she'll get around to it eventually," Severus said with an unconcerned shrug.

"Well, here is yours… and yes it's from Toby's shop, but for once I have a good idea what it is from the hints he gave me, only he did make a point to tell me it was a 'new and improved version, for some reason," Jennifer said, handing over the small package to Severus, picking slowly at the paper with such a lack of enthusiasm that Severus knew she wanted him to see his first, so he unwrapped a box that he at first thought must belong to a large pocket watch.

Carefully, he opened the box only to find a note carefully folded in the same square shape as the box on top of it, his expression growing solemn as he realized it was actually a Time Turner. In fact, it looked exactly like the school's old one, except for the fact that engraved along the edge were the words: Warning! Must be handled with the utmost respect!

"Now there's something no Headmaster can possibly live without," Minerva said with a thin smile. "What happened to the old one?"

"A bit of a long story," Severus said distantly, but then focused in on Minerva. "Remind be to tell you later before I head back for the school this afternoon," he said and opened the note.

_Severus;_

_ Although now is probably not the appropriate time to replace this, there is no time like the present… or rather, as I've been trying to hammer into your head since the beginning, there is also no time BUT the present. How, if that is so, a Time Turner works at all, is something best left for philosophers and those wizards out of touch with reality enough to be able to dream it up. But just as there are times that the past needs defended, and times such as now where the future needs defended, there are also times where the present needs defended. For this and this alone should the Time Turner be used; to preserve the present… yes well, and perhaps to preserve one's sanity on occasion, but you know perfectly well that isn't the sort of thing I'm concerned about. I took the liberty of improving this with a bit of a reminder to respect this tool, as well as the decisions of others. However, considering your past experiences both with Ciara and also what happened last year, I'm sure I can trust you with this once again._

_ Speaking of trust, I would like to say for the record that it is good to see you are finally on the right path again, and making the right decisions for yourself and others for a change. I'm certain it'll be interesting to see how it turns out, for honestly, I haven't got a clue at the moment how things are going to end up. However, I am certain the future is in good hands, as is the present now that this has been returned to you._

_ Oh…and P.S…don't worry about registering the thing; if you look carefully, you'll see it has the same serial number as your old one…I trust you never reported it destroyed, I hope. Toby and a hundred other names._

"How very like him to sell you something I already owned," Severus snorted.

"What do you mean?" Jennifer asked with a frown.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is the duplicate watch I made when I created that time paradox to defeat Ciardoth so many years ago," Severus explained. "Either that, or the one I had been carrying was the duplicate." Jennifer blinked in surprise. "But don't worry, Jennifer, I'll make certain I take better care of this one. Thank you." Jennifer smiled at him uncertainly, but the reassurance in his gaze was enough to put her at ease as he coaxed her into opening the jewelry collection he had gotten her.


	28. Jitters

Twenty-Eight

Jitters

Ashley watched the other four women as they each poured their drinks into the cauldron in the middle of the coven table. She was feeling unusually out of place, despite the fact she knew everyone there very well; from Minerva to Anna to Jennifer to Alex, who looked unquestionably excited to have been invited at all. Minerva wasn't a bit put out when Ashley admitted she had brought tea as well, although it did make for an unusually light brew. Anna was the only one who brought anything alcoholic and she had chosen a basic white wine, since the brew tasted the same no matter what was put in.

"This is a fun bunch, isn't it?" Minerva said mischievously, after Jennifer added a Coke and Alex added her homemade pumpkin, orange, and mango juice cocktail (a concoction which she had not been able to convince anyone over the age of two to try at home.) "It's going to be hard to blame the alcohol if we say anything we might regret later," she chuckled.

"Well, we'll just have to drink more of it," Anna decided, sounding so determined that the others grinned at her. "After all, this is a bachelorette party of sorts, isn't it?"

"Rather an old maid party," Ashley said sheepishly.

"Bite your tongue! Old I don't mind; it's the maid part I find offensive," Minerva said, getting a round of laughter.

"Old witch party, then," Ashley said with a shake of the head and a smile. "I suppose all of you must think it's silly my getting married at my age."

"Nonsense, there's nothing silly about it," Minerva clucked at her. "As long as your heart's in it, what difference does it make how old you are?"

"Yes, I suppose," Ashley said distantly.

"Are you sure you just don't have day before wedding jitters?" Anna asked. "We all got them, you know."

"I didn't!" Alex protested. "Honestly, Father was more of a mess than I was!" The rest of them chuckled at that.

"I remember how he was at my wedding, and how long it took everyone to talk him into wearing a tuxedo," Anna said.

"I wish I'd seen that," Alex grinned.

"Saw it? You drooled on it," Anna snorted, and they all laughed again. "In fact, you interrupted my wedding… and then you had to go and get kidnapped by that imp. God, what a disaster that whole wedding was!"

"In some ways, perhaps, but in other ways it was brilliant," Jennifer protested. "I never would have met Doctor Linde if it hadn't been for that day, and who knows, we might have lost Alicia because of it, not to mention everything I learned from him. He was such a good man."

"He definitely was," Anna agreed. "What about your wedding, Jennifer? Were you nervous?"

"Nervous, yes… thought of backing out of it, no," Jennifer said with a grin. "Actually, I was much more worried that Severus would back out of it. I was even half afraid that he might walk up the aisle but then change his mind before we got through our vows."

"I'm not surprised as insecure as you were back then," Minerva said with a slight smile. "I don't think I'd ever seen someone quite so unsure of herself as you were when we first met. In fact, you seemed uncertain of everything, except Severus."

"Yes, well, to be fair, Minerva, anyone else who's met him would agree that he tends to stir up deep emotions in people," Jennifer said with a grin, earning a soft chuckle. "But really, I'd much rather hear more about Bart. What was it that attracted you to him, Ashley?"

"Oh, well, you know Bart, Jennifer. Come to think of it, you've known him longer than I have," Ashley said distractedly, but everyone at the table was looking at her with interest now. "I suppose what attracted me the most is how much he seemed to need me."

"Ah yes, there's nothing in the world like the feeling of being needed," Minerva agreed with a smile.

"Although sometimes you can be needed to much," Anna said dryly.

"True, but Bart is also very independent," Ashley said defensively. "You can be completely independent and still need someone."

"You won't get any arguments from me," Jennifer chuckled.

"Me either," Alex agreed.

"In fact, I'd doubt any of us would argue that point," Minerva said. "And how does Ambrose feel about all of this?"

"Oh…um… well, I'm not sure, really," Ashley said, troubled. "He has been really supportive ever since he came home for the holidays, but it's more as if it's his mind and not his heart that's behind it. He's been quite distant."

"That could easily just be from the fact that he just found out who his father is, though," Anna pointed out. "The boy just had a whale put on his plate, Ashley, it's going to take him some time to eat it."

"He hasn't been thinking about much else since he found out," Jennifer agreed with a chuckle. "His marks plunged at the end, and I think that alone is to blame. He pulled out every book in the library on Merlin, some I didn't even know about. But he's just trying to find out who he is right now, Ashley, and I'd say it's perfectly normal considering his age and what he's been through."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Ashley agreed, but then frowned. "Do you suppose I ought to postpone the wedding? Perhaps he'll be more ready for this in the spring?"

"Ashley, if I may, no boy is ever ready for his mother to get remarried under any circumstances," Minerva said, sipping her brew. "I don't think prolonging the situation would help, unless you have some other personal reason for doing so?"

"No, not really. It is probably just nerves," Ashley decided with a weak smile.

"Drink up," Anna advised, the others chuckling softly while Ashley took another tentative sip.

"By the way, thank you for the new sewing kit, Anna. I had been needing a new one," Minerva said with a smile. "Did you have a good Christmas?"

"Fine, for the most part, although my aunt showed up again," Anna said, immediately getting everyone's attention.

"Is that unusual?" Ashley asked anxiously.

"Well, not in and of itself," Anna admitted. "I did host the family gathering again this year, and she does tend to go when there are a lot of us in the same place, such as Christmas or sometimes at weddings… and she never misses a funeral."

"How very like her," Jennifer said with a sigh.

"It's the frequency that she's been going to them lately that concerns me. When I was little, I'd see her perhaps once a year if that. But lately she's been going to even minor gatherings, and sometimes even just 'dropping in' on weekends when I'm at home," Anna said.

"Does father know about it?" Alex asked with alarm. Anna nodded.

"Of course we've spoken about it, but it isn't as if anything can be done, is there? She's not really doing anything other than keeping in touch with a vengeance," Anna said.

"Yes, that's what's worrisome about it," Jennifer murmured.

"I suppose I should also tell you that she seemed quite interested in the fact that Ashley's getting married this weekend," Anna said, everyone exchanging glances at that. "Although she did say she was highly in favor of it."

"Oh dear," Ashley said worriedly.

"Now, there's no need to panic," Minerva quickly put in. "Perhaps since she's in favor of it, she won't interfere."

"But if she's in favor of it, perhaps it's the wrong thing to do?" Ashley asked, obviously upset.

"Not necessarily," Anna reassured her, putting a hand on hers. "My aunt isn't evil, Ashley. She's ruthless, yes, but she's not evil. In some ways, she sees herself above such matters of morality…"

"Which makes her all the more dangerous," Ashley finished. "At least Merlin has a definite sense of right and wrong, even if he does cross the line intentionally on occasion. You never know what she'll do…"

"She will do what she has always done and look after her own interests," Minerva said with a thin smile.

"But to her, Ambrose is in her interests! She sees him as a personal affront, although it couldn't be farther from the truth…"

"Ashley, calm down," Anna said. "She's not likely to do anything at the wedding, especially when Merlin is keeping such a close eye on things," she reassured her. Jennifer joined the others in trying to put her at ease, despite the fact she didn't feel so reassured herself.

Minerva, who had been watching Jennifer carefully all evening for other reasons, had sensed the increase in her restlessness, curious as to what it was all about. But Ashley needed some extra attention, and Minerva didn't get the opportunity that she had been looking for during the evening to confront her. At last the two of them Apparated into the hallway of the Baker Street house to find everyone had turned in for the night. Jennifer let out a soft sigh of relief, turning the gaslights up a tad in the front room and in the hall.

"Well, that was a fun evening, wasn't it?" Jennifer said distractedly, glancing around to make sure everything in the house was in order.

"Yes, quite interesting," Minerva said conversationally.

"It's very late though, so if you'll pardon me, I think I'll go ahead and turn in…"

"Care for a cup of tea or something first, Jennifer?" Minerva interrupted before she could make an exit.

"What, are you serious? After that brew?" Jennifer chuckled at her, shaking her head.

"Coffee, then?" Minerva suggested.

"Honestly, Minerva! There was more caffeine than alcohol in that thing tonight. I think that's the last thing either of us need if we're going to get a good night's rest tonight," Jennifer chided her.

"A very good point. And it was a very weak brew, wasn't it? What have you got in the house? Anything stronger?"

"In this house?" Jennifer said with another chuckle. "I imagine we have about half a bottle of Anise wine left over from Christmas, and about the same of Wailing Inis Whiskey, which gets used more often as an emergency antiseptic than anything, considering how rarely I drink…"

"That'll do nicely," Minerva decided. "Where do you keep it?" Jennifer sighed.

"In the library," Jennifer said at last. "Cabinet in the middle of the bookshelf on the right. Help yourself."

"You're not coming up?" Minerva frowned.

"Minerva, I'm tired, and there is a wedding tomorrow," Jennifer protested with a chuckle. "I promise we can talk as much as you like after we get back after that."

"Very well, Jennifer," Minerva said with a nod. "Have a good evening then, pleasant dreams."

"Thank you, and you as well," Jennifer smiled.

Jennifer felt she couldn't get away fast enough at that point, hurrying to her rooms and shutting the door and fingering the coin in her pocket. Glancing around to make sure that no portraits were lurking in the simple scenic paintings in her sitting room, Jennifer took out the Obol, glancing at her own determined expression in the mirror before tossing it.

"Will Viviane go to Ashley's wedding?" Jennifer asked. The Obol came down with a clatter, showing Charon. "No," Jennifer murmured, waiting for the vision to appear. But the vision never came. "What? That's it?" Jennifer said out loud in complete surprise. "How very strange! Why isn't it showing me anything?" She inspected the coin thoughtfully for a moment before forming another question.

"Does Ashley have a reason to worry about her wedding tomorrow?" Jennifer said, flipping the coin again. As the spinning coin showed the Oracle, a vision began to form, and Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief before concentrating on the scene.

Ashley was standing in a large group of people, and from her dress and others around her it was obvious they were at the wedding itself. But everyone seemed disorganized, broken off into groups and looking around distractedly. The vision turned towards Severus and he said something unclear, before the vision went back over to the crowd again. Aurelius then stepped over, spoke to Severus, and left as the vision faded.

"A lot of excitement, but I didn't see Ambrose," Jennifer murmured to herself before looking at the coin again.

"Does Ambrose miss the wedding tomorrow? Young Ambrose?" she quickly amended, and the coin came down on the Oracle again, without a vision. "Odd, that's twice now. Wait… does Merlin miss the wedding tomorrow as well?" she asked, flipping it to receive the same positive answer with no visions. "I don't like this. I mean, I _really_ don't like this!" Jennifer said and refastened her cloak, Disapparating.

* * *

Severus was busy digging out his cufflinks from the annoying amount of earrings that had worked his way into his trinket box when he heard a rather unexpected knock coming from the study doors. Frowning thoughtfully at it, he grabbed his cufflinks and gave himself a cursory glance in the mirror before walking into the study and waving the doors open, seeing no one there.

"It is I," came a solemn powerful voice from below, and Severus concentrated a moment.

"Come in," Severus said, and Sagittari Apparated in front of the desk. "I really need to work out some alternate means of navigating around those stairs."

"You will not hear any arguments from me," Sagittari agreed. "The Headmaster should be accessible to any staff or student when he's in the castle." Severus gazed at him quietly for a moment, knowing they were both thinking of Lyra.

"I'll have it done before the start of next year, one way or the other," Severus decided, making a note to himself in his journal, not that he was likely to forget. "Anyhow, what was it you needed to speak to me about?" he asked, frowning when he saw he had picked two cufflinks that didn't match.

"Your pardon if I interrupted your getting ready, I realize you have a wedding to attend this morning," Sagittari began, Severus immediately waving the apology away. "But I had a rather unexpected visitor last evening that I was concerned about."

"Concerned?" Severus asked questioningly, pulling out the bottom drawer and getting out a small box clearly labeled, 'Emergency Cufflinks.'

"Yes, Severus. It was Jennifer," Sagittari said solemnly. Severus looked up in surprise. "She came over quite late night and asked if I would read the stars for her that very moment. She seemed strangely insistant."

"I see," Severus said after a moment, adjusting his cuffs distractedly. "Well, I'm sure she has her reasons."

"Perhaps she does, considering the skies are filled with great portents," Sagittari said evenly. "Even as far as the my Constellation in Crete, the elders are whispering of how the skies have not been in such alignment for a millennium, and yet by our calculations, such an alignment should not have been seen by centaur or humankind for another millennium to come. This alignment, it would seem, is a thousand years too early."

"Perhaps their calculations were off," Severus said with a shrug.

"That has been checked and double checked, Severus," Sagittari said.

"Perhaps this is simply a long term result of Ciardoth's messing with them then," Severus mused.

"It is definitely one of the more popular theories at the moment," Sagittari agreed. "But others still argue it is something else… that something or someone has changed the path of Fate itself." Severus stared at him a moment.

"Fate is always changing, Sagittari. Our decisions change it every day," Severus said, Sagittari frowning in response. "And although I really am quite interested to hear more about this alignment of stars from an astronomical standpoint, you know perfectly well that I've never believed that the stars haven't much to do with anything as far as our individual destinies are concerned."

"It is not individual fate I am speaking of, Severus. It is the fate of the universe itself that seems to be changing," Sagittari said.

"How can you be certain that whatever drastic change you see now wasn't what was truly intended all along?" Severus challenged him. "How do you know that the path that you and your elders have seen all of this time was a true path at all? Perhaps what they were expecting was only an extension of what had gone on before, but that doesn't mean these strange skies of yours weren't supposed to happen, does it?" Sagittari pondered it for a moment.

"I don't know," he admitted at last. "I heard no elders voice such an opinion."

"Sagittari, centaur or not, constellation or not, the only opinion that truly matters is your own," Severus said. "Outside opinion can help you form your own, but you shouldn't mistake them as your own."

"That is good advice," Sagittari admitted with a sigh, but it was obvious from Severus' restlessness that he was ready to head out the door. "But what of Jennifer?"

"Jennifer is already quite opinionated," Severus said evenly.

"I was speaking of her erratic behavior, Severus," Sagittari said as Severus lead him through his sitting room and out onto the ninth floor. "I believe she may be heading for some trouble."

"If there is anything I need to know, she'll tell me," Severus said expressionlessly as the two of them walked down the hall. Sagittari frowned at him.

"When are you due for your next physical again, Severus?" Sagittari asked, but Severus ignored the question.

* * *

The last day of the year was chillingly cold… too cold, in Ambrose's opinion, for an outdoor wedding, Keki's Grove or not. It was too early for a wedding too; morning seemed better suited for breakfast and coffee and chores than for a wedding. It was too bright for a wedding; the glare from the sun off the snow could possible lead all the guests astray and they would never get find their way back. And his collar was much, much, much too stiff for a wedding, the ring pillow too puffy, and the part in his hair much too straight. This wasn't going to work.

"Aw, you look so cute!" said one of his great Aunts from the Witolf side of the family. Marge, he thought her name was, but he still had trouble keeping them straight. They fussed over him left and right until he finally got a glimpse of his mother, rosy and cheerful in her golden satin dress with rose-gold roses trailing the bottom.

"There's my handsome Ambrose!" Ashley smiled at him, giving him a hug. "But you're so stiff! Don't tell me you have butterflies in your stomach too! I'm the only one who is supposed to be nervous, you know."

"You're fine, Mum. The most beautiful bride ever!" Ambrose said, a round of aww's going up from his aunts, while Rose simply rolled her eyes at him and grinned.

"You'll say that until it's your turn, I'm sure," Ashley said mischievously.

"Maybe it'd be better if you went to see how Bart and Corey are doing, Ambrose?" Rose suggested.

"Can I go check on Mr. Toby first?" Ambrose asked.

"Actually, that might not be that bad of an idea, but don't be long about it," Ashley said. Ambrose was too glad to get away to remember to thank her, swimming through the sea of aunts until he finally managed to get out the door and ran down the street. He glanced briefly at the sign that read, "Closed for the Duration." Wondering what it meant but shrugging it off, Ambrose opened the door and walked in, Halcyon immediately acknowledging his presence.

"Ah, it's Mr. Bailey. My, don't we look stunning!" Toby said, coming out in a tux that made the wizened figure look comical to say the least. "Out to impress the girls, are we?"

"No, not really. I'd rather not be in it at all," Ambrose said. Toby nodded thoughtfully at that.

"Well, I admit there does seem to be a growing fad these days for nude weddings, but I'm certain that being a dressmaker, your mother probably likes it better this way."

"That's not what I meant Mr. Toby," Ambrose said. "I mean… well, I wish she weren't getting married at all!"

"Ah, ah, ah, best be careful what you wish for, young man," Toby said sternly.

"I just hope she's not doing this for me," Ambrose said. "Because I just want her to be happy, and if she's doing this just for me, she's not going to be happy."

"Calm down, dear boy! What is all this? You aren't the one who is supposed to have wedding day jitters," Toby tsked. "And it is rather late for you to be bringing these points up now."

"I know, and I tried, but every time I tried, Mum convinced me that we'd be better off this way," Ambrose said.

"Well, Ambrose, do you trust your mother to do what's best, or don't you?" Toby asked. Ambrose thought about it a moment and then nodded.

"I trust her, of course. Do you?" Ambrose added on a whim.

"Of course I do," Toby said with a warm smile, and Ambrose took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.

"All right," Ambrose said. "All right, I can do this."

"You certainly can. With flair, style, and dignity," Toby reassured him.

"Can you really have flair, style, and dignity all at the same time?" Ambrose asked with a frown.

"Only if you're the ring bearer," Toby decided, nodding him towards the door. "I'll be along in just a few minutes. You'd best be joining the others."

"All right, Mr. Toby," Ambrose said with a grin, running back outside.

Toby chuckled to himself for a moment, watching the boy run down the street and into Corey's shop. Satisfied he was in good hands, we wandered back over to the counter to fetch his glasses and his watch.

It was then that he paused dead in his tracks.

He hadn't intended on doing it.

He wasn't even aware that he did it.

He then blinked once… and then twice… and then spun around on his heel and stared at the shop he was standing in, positively mystified.

"What the devil am I doing here?" Merlin said uncertainly. "And where the devil is here? And what the devil is this?" he asked, staring at a note on the counter. "'Protect Ambrose at all costs!'" he read. He attempted to chew on his beard, but for some reason it wasn't there.

"'Beware of Viviane! Protect Ambrose?' But I am Ambrose! I wonder who wrote this? It almost looks like it was in my own handwriting," he said out loud, staring at the post-it critically. "Why, damned if it isn't my handwriting after all! Why would I tell me to protect myself from her? Or was I telling someone else to protect me? Would I have done something so silly?" he wondered. He heard a flutter and stared up at a beautiful kingfisher. "And who the devil are you?" he inquired. Halcyon tilted his head to one side as if not understanding the question, but then suddenly took wing and flew over to perch on a sconce beside a very wide wall with a very, very, _very_ large collection of post-it notes.

"Oh dear," Merlin said, shaking his head as he gawked at the wall. "Why is it that I have the feeling that I am not going to get any answers to my questions any time soon?"


	29. An Ill Fated Wedding

Twenty-Nine

An Ill-Fated Wedding

By the time Severus arrived, all the guests were assembled and waiting; in fact, Severus was running so late that he had expected the ceremony to have started already. As he walked over to where Jennifer was standing, he couldn't help but notice that even with her spectacles pushed smartly up on her nose, she seemed distant and quite worried. He felt her jump as he gently touched her arm and then sighed when she realized whom it was.

"Something wrong?" he murmured.

"Yes, and I wish I knew what," Jennifer whispered back.

"Careful," Severus said quietly.

"Severus, I've a terrible feeling something is going to happen to Ambrose today," Jennifer said. Severus frowned, gazing at her steadily.

"Any more specific feelings, Jennifer?" he asked.

"No, that's just the trouble," Jennifer whispered fervently. "I spoke to Sagittari last night and he kept going on about some sort of premature alignment of stars or something. I even went to Essie's, but all she's been dreaming about lately is Aurelius in knights errant armor going on some sort of quest with Joanie Weasley and Jamie Potter as his squires of all things!"

"Now, Jennifer, you know better than to look to portents of the future for advice. What matters is the here and now and nothing else," Severus said in a low voice.

"Well, right here and right now I'm worried about Ambrose," Jennifer said firmly. Severus nodded solemnly.

"Very well, then we'll keep him close at hand if it'll put you more at ease," Severus said, glancing past her. "Fortuna, why don't you ask Ambrose to come over here and stand with us until he's needed? I believe he's down the path with Ashley's party."

"Sure," Lucky shrugged, but Jennifer frowned as she watched her disappear into the crowd.

"Are you certain that's such a good idea, Severus?" Jennifer asked.

"Why, do you have a bad feeling about her as well?" Severus inquired.

"I don't know, I didn't look," Jennifer murmured under her breath. Severus pretended that he didn't hear it.

"At any rate, I doubt you have cause to worry. Lucky isn't likely to take any unnecessary chances," Severus mused as he noticed someone slip out of the crowd to catch up with her on the side path. "Unnecessary being the key word," he added as an afterthought.

"Lucky, wait up!" Dale said with exasperation. "Just five minutes, honest, and I'll leave you alone."

"Is that a promise?" Lucky asked irritably. "What the hell are you doing here, anyhow? I thought you had a gig tonight, being New Year's and all."

"We do," Dale said, but was encouraged when she slowed down for him. "Mom is using the wedding as an excuse to try and get a word in with Professor Craw, actually. The media has been going positively insane since you hit me, Lucky. They're trying to figure out who you are."

"Ya, I know. I heard they widened up that game shot of us sittin' together," Lucky admitted. "At least the kids at school will stop saying I was lyin' about being there that day."

"What? They were?" Dale said with a frown. "Why didn't you tell me? If I'd known they'd said that, I'd have set them straight."

"I can fight my own battles," Lucky shrugged unconcernedly.

"Yes, I think I've learned that lesson the hard way," Dale chuckled.

"Ya, about that," Lucky sighed, stopping within sight of where a small crowd of women had gathered up the path. "Look, I'm sorry I hit you, okay? It's not my place to say who you go out with."

"Well, I'm sorry I let my father talk me into going along with that stupid photo op to begin with. It was the first time I saw the girl since that day at the game, Lucky, I honestly couldn't care less about Miss Malibu Barbie as you call her. I'd prefer a girl with more fire, and a lot more depth," Dale admitted quietly.

"Yeah well, good luck with that. I gotta go get Ambrose, the Professor wants to see him…"

"I'll wait, Lucky," Dale said evenly.

"Yeah, prolly not a bad idea, it's all women over there. I'll be right back," Lucky said.

"That's not what I meant, Lucky, although I will walk you guys back over," Dale said. "I meant that I'll wait for you." Lucky gazed at his serious expression guardedly. "I'll wait until you're ready."

"Then you're gonna be waitin' a lot time, _chico,_" Lucky sighed. "Hell, I may never be ready."

"Then so be it," Dale said with a shrug. "Then I'll wait the rest of my life and die a bachelor if I must, but I'm not backing down, Lucky, and nothing you can say is going to change my mind this time. You're the only girl I want to be with, nobody else is ever going to come close, and despite what my father might think, I'm not going to grow out how I feel about you. And part of that is because that whether you want to admit it or not, past that wall of anger and fear and aggression of yours, I know that you care about me too. And before you start laying into me and insulting me or threatening me to try to back me away from you, it's not going to work, so don't bother to try. You may not be my girl, Lucky, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm taken. I'll wait." Lucky met his serious expression evenly.

"I think you're making a mistake," Lucky said at last.

"You can think that if you like," Dale said with a nod. "But I think I'll take my chances," he added, a thin smile creeping across his face. Lucky rolled her eyes.

"I think I'm gonna get Ambrose," Lucky said.

"That's fine, I'll wait," Dale said in a casual tone, and Lucky turned and walked further down the path, wondering if she was ever going to hear those two words the same way again.

Lucky walked over to see a slew of women, many of which she didn't know, all of which seemed to be standing to either side of the path while Ashley paced up and down the path worriedly.

"Don't worry, Ashley, I'm sure they'll be along any minute," said a lovely woman with brown hair. Essie looked off in the distance with a frown.

"I don't like it. It's not like him to be late, not for something like this," Ashley said.

"I still say we ought to just start without him, dear. It isn't like it's the groom is missing," an older woman said with amusement.

"I have no intention of getting married without him here, Virginia! I hope there wasn't an emergency," Ashley said worriedly, but as she turned to pace the other direction, Rose caught sight of Lucky standing there, watching the exchange curiously.

"Oh, hello there, Lucky! Goodness, you look flushed, almost as much as my Mum does," Rose teased, Ashley pausing and looking over at the girl.

"The Professor sent me to fetch Ambrose," Lucky explained.

"I just sent him to fetch Mr. Toby a few minutes ago, Lucky. Mr. Toby is very late. Damn the man for not being here on time!" Ashley said, her frustration instantly renewed.

"Eh, it's prolly nuthin,' Lucky shrugged. "He's older than the hills, maybe he just forgot or something." Ashley suddenly gasped, her eyes widening.

"Oh no! Oh no, he couldn't have! Not now!" she said frantically, and started running down the path, despite everyone calling after her. Lucky groaned, glancing back down the path the other way and managing to get Dale's attention before running after her. Almost immediately she tripped, having forgotten she too was in a dress, and out of frustration kicked off her heels and hoisted her skirts, Dale tripping over her shoes on his attempt to catch up.

"Where are we going?" Dale asked in a huff when he got to her side.

"Ashley thinks something happened to Toby," Lucky explained. "Damn, I lost sight of her! She musta taken a shortcut!"

"What could possibly happen to him?" Dale asked, following behind her as Lucky looked for footprints.

"I don't know, all I know is Ambrose had just left to find him so I'm a helluva lot more worried about him at the moment," Lucky said. "Looks like she cut through this way."

"Wait, Lucky, look! There's a second set of prints on this side path," Dale said after a few moments. "But look, they're not staying on it!"

"How weird is that?" Lucky said, pushing past him and following the second set of prints, seeing that it was a much smaller foot.

"It seems to go towards that copse of trees over there," Dale said, glancing around with a frown. "Are you sure we're even in the grove anymore? Everything seems dark all of the sudden."

"Ambrose ain't stupid enough to go in that forest alone. Especially not after what happened last year," Lucky said firmly, but then stopped short so suddenly that Dale bumped into her, getting an elbow in the gut for it.

"Ow, cut it out, Lucky!"

"Look! The trail stopped," Lucky said. Dale frowned and looked down at the pair of footprints in the snow ahead of them, but nowhere did he see any marks of him turning around. "Maybe he remembered the footprint spell for a change?"

"Or maybe he flew away," Dale suggested. "In falcon form."

"I forgot he could do that," Lucky frowned, glancing up at the tall trees, crowding each other in attempts to preserve their sunlight.

"Or perhaps neither are correct," said a silky smooth voice from right behind them, and they turned and let out a cry of surprise to see Viviane standing there, blocking their path. "Perhaps he was waylaid for some reason."

"Lady Viviane," Dale said with a wary nod.

"Where's Ambrose?" Lucky demanded angrily.

"Safe, for now," Viviane said with a reassuring smile that wasn't all that reassuring to the two standing before her. "In fact, I decided to take him home with me for a little chat, but I assure you I have no intention of harming him. He is but a boy, after all, and not responsible for the deeds of his parents. But I was wondering if you could deliver a message?"

"What sort of a message?" Dale asked.

"Simply ask Mr. Toby to drop by my home if he ever wants to see young Ambrose again," Viviane said. "I'm sure the two of you can handle that."

"I thought you said you weren't gonna harm him!" Lucky snapped.

"I doubt I would ever have to," Viviane said unconcernedly. "I expect you had better hurry."

"Come on, Lucky," Dale said, not turning his back to her until the last possible moment as they ran to meet back up with the path. Viviane smiled softly to herself, keeping an eye on them until they were safely out of the Grove, watching them run towards town before she finally faded away.

"Ambrose!"

Merlin glanced up from his current note to see a lovely older woman with a full, pleasant figure and rosy complexion. Her hair was a mix of blonde and white but not becomingly so; and she had cloudy grey eyes that for some reason were filled with anxiety.

"Yes, my dear?" Merlin inquired.

"Are you alright?" Ashley asked with concern.

"Oh um, well, I seem to be at the moment, I suppose…" Merlin said noncommittally.

"Where is Ambrose?" she asked. Merlin blinked at her.

"Am I not Ambrose?" he asked.

"I meant the other Ambrose! Your son!" Ashley said with exasperation. "I sent him here to fetch you because you were late. Didn't he make it here?"

"I have a son named Ambrose?" Merlin asked in surprise, and then shuffled the notes he had gathered. "Oh, then these make much more sense."

"You have lost your memory! Oh, no! What horrendous timing!" Ashley said. "We were afraid this was going to happen! But I certainly wasn't expecting it to happen today!"

"We, my dear?" Merlin inquired thoughtfully.

"Yes, as in you and I. You knew you were going to lose your memory, you just didn't know when it was going to hit, because you didn't remember it…"

"That would explain all the notes," Merlin agreed. "And who are you again?"

"I'm Ashley!" Ashley said, feeling her throat tighten up. "I'm Ambrose's mother."

"Oh!" Merlin said, blinking several times in complete surprise. "Well! At least I see I still have good taste."

"Ugh! I am not going to play this game right now!" Ashley said, rolling her eyes with frustration and then calmed herself a moment. Carefully she went over a verse in her head, and finally reassured that she had it right, began to recite it.

"'Many wait for him, but he is forever dead, for a man who has willingly taken innocent lives cannot rise again. But although his bones feed but the sea and his soul drifts along its waves, his heart will live on; in the deeds of others, inspired by his legend, in the land and country he fought and struggled for, and in the legacy of mankind who will forever be indebted to the man who challenged us to be better than who we are today, despite personal hardship.'"

"God bless Arthur," Merlin finished quietly, gazing steadily at her and a glassy look coming to his eyes. "My eulogy. I remember it well. I think I would remember it if the entire universe crumbled around me, for it would probably be my final thought."

"You taught it to me," Ashley said.

"Then I must trust you with my life," Merlin said solemnly.

Just then, Halcyon let out a trill as two teenagers, a tall handsome boy in dress robes and an unkempt girl in stockings and a slightly torn dress ran into the shop.

"She's got Ambrose!" Lucky shouted, and then had to stop and catch her breath.

"Who, Lucky?" Ashley asked.

"Lady Viviane," Dale got out, glancing over at Merlin whose bewildered expression suddenly sharpened, a strange dark look in his blue eyes. "We followed his footsteps in the snow and ran into her instead. And she told us to tell Toby that he needed to meet her at her home if he ever wanted to see Ambrose again."

"Oh no!" Ashley said with obvious terror in her eyes.

"How old is the boy?" Merlin asked, scanning the wall quickly and picking up a couple of notes. When he turned back around, Dale and Lucky both had to blink, for his appearance had changed dramatically into the same image they had seen in Corey's painting, beard and all.

"He's only ten," Ashley sobbed.

"And who is this Severus I keep mentioning in my notes?"

"What do you mean who is he?" Lucky asked indignantly.

"He's your apprentice, and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Ashley explained quickly.

"Then you had best inform him of the situation, and tell him that I am going after them," Merlin said, sticking a wand up his sleeve.

"What? In your condition?" Ashley said worriedly.

"My dear, I have little choice, have I?" Merlin said. "I will send Ambrose back as soon as I can."

"Send him? Aren't you coming back?" Ashley asked.

"That might not be possible," Merlin admitted. "It will depend on what she wants in the exchange. Come; let me try to figure out how to hide this place since it seems to be mine. Everyone out. Oh and as for you, Mr. Kingfisher…"

"Halcyon," Dale offered.

"Oh, I should have known," Merlin chuckled. "Best you come with me."

Halcyon, who seemed in favor of the idea, flew over to Merlin's shoulder as they walked out.

"I trust you can get these children back, Ashley?" Merlin added.

"Yes let's get back to the… good heavens, the wedding!" Ashley said, stopping in our tracks again.

"Come on," Dale said, coaxing Ashley forward again. "The Professor is going to want to hear about it."

"I just hope Ambrose is gonna be all right," Lucky sighed worriedly as the three of them hurried back to the waiting crowd.

* * *

When Ambrose opened his eyes, everything was pitch black. How exactly Viviane had gotten him there, he wasn't quite sure. But he knew from the moment he saw her that he was in trouble. He also couldn't help but wonder if he was the only one in danger.

"Hullo?" Ambrose said timidly, hearing a very odd echo. Tentatively, he sat up, feeling around with his hands. The floor beneath him was smooth and very cold. But somehow the wall next to him was even smoother, and even colder. He looked for his wand and couldn't find it, but was quite sure he could get a wisplight going without one and cautiously put cast one up. As his eyes adjusted, he was startled to see another figure in front of him, but then quickly realized it was nothing but his own image staring back at him.

"Do you happen to know what the difference between us is?" the image spoke. Ambrose stared at the image in surprise, for he had never been spoken to by a reflection before. "I know what I'm capable of, and I'm not afraid to do what I please. If you could have anything you wanted right now, what would you wish for?"

"I just want to go home," Ambrose said, getting up.

"Is that all? When you could have the world at your feet?" the image said. "That's why they never told you, you know. They're afraid of what you might be capable of someday."

Ambrose backed warily away from the image, holding the light up to see he was surrounding by images, and scattered prism lights that floated on the wall as his spell penetrated through crystals jetting out of the walls like stalactites.

"I think I know where I am now," Ambrose said, raising his light further to see the ripple of water above him. An escape route! Ambrose concentrated to try and change his shape. Surely he could fly up there and through to the outside. But for some reason, he couldn't seem to manage it. As hard as he tried, he couldn't seem to change forms. "How am I going to get out of here?"

"What makes you so sure you're ever going to get out?" asked the persistent image, but Ambrose was doing his best to ignore him. Instead, Ambrose decided to try one of the corridors leading out of the cavern, keeping a hand on the wall to keep himself from getting turned around in the dim light.

The caverns seemed quite rough, filled with the sharp jagged crystals reminding Ambrose of the sort that they had occasionally grown in the potion lab, despite the fact that he knew it was much more. He could feel the tingle of magic penetrating him from the hand on the wall, a constant reminder that he was not in a safe place, nor was he where he was supposed to be.

It was then that he saw something strange in the ceiling ahead that didn't appear to be made out of crystal at all, for it didn't seem to reflect the light as the rest of the corridor did. Curiously, Ambrose walked over and stood underneath it, staring at it for a bit before he realized he was looking at the hilt of a sword embedded in the crystal cave itself.

"Wow," Ambrose said softly, itching to reach for it, despite the fact that a huge part of him was screaming about just how bad of an idea that would be. Cautiously he forced himself to back away from it, following the corridor on until at last he saw he corridor widen. But when he stepped into it and held his light up, he immediately realized he was back in the in the cavern under the lake. "Oh, no," Ambrose groaned, realizing with as many other corridors as there had been that it would take him hours to work his way out.

"Having fun exploring?" Viviane asked, stepping out of the shadows. "Would you care for something to eat or drink?"

"I just want to go home," Ambrose said evenly.

"I'm certain that will happen soon enough. It is only a matter of time before he'll be coming to fetch you, you know," Viviane said, glancing sideways at a mirror and then gazing at the water.

"Professor Snape?" Ambrose asked. Viviane paused in bewilderment as to why he was mentioned, but then realized that Ambrose was referring to her last statement.

"It will be your father that will be coming. I have no interest in Severus at the moment," Viviane said.

"My father!" Ambrose repeated with amazement, but then suddenly became afraid. "What are you going to do to him?"

"Nothing you can stop, so there is no point in worrying, is there?" Viviane said calmly. Ambrose glared at her angrily. "Besides, you would be better off if you didn't trust your godfather so much to get your out of trouble. His own wife doesn't trust him, and neither should you."

"He's never given me a reason not to trust him," Ambrose said firmly, refusing to look in the direction of the dislikable mirror who he was certain was probably rolling his eyes or shaking his head at him. Viviane did neither. She simply turned and studied him carefully for a moment.

"Ambrose, he has given you a reason to distrust him from the moment you were born," Viviane said gently. "Have you ever wondered why Severus has been so adamant about keeping your heritage away from you?"

"Oh, well, that's obvious now, isn't it?" Ambrose said, but Viviane simply gazed at him steadily. "He didn't want me to know until I was old enough to accept it, and old enough to keep it a secret." Viviane said nothing. She simply looked at him. "The painting of my father said it was also because he was afraid of how others might react if it got out that I was his son."

"And why would they be afraid of you?" Viviane asked. Ambrose frowned.

"I don't know," Ambrose admitted. "Fear of the unknown, I suppose."

"Is that why you believe Severus is afraid of you as well?" she asked.

"The Professor isn't afraid of me," Ambrose said evenly.

"He is," Viviane said softly. "He is afraid of what you might become if everyone around you isn't careful. In fact, it was that fear that drove him to take such an active roll as your godfather since you were born, and that is why I believe it is unwise for you to trust him. See for yourself, if you do not believe me."

There was a flash of light from beside Ambrose, and her turned in surprise to see one of the crystals sparkling until the image of a girl about his age appeared, pale and beautiful, with hair so light blonde it was nearly white. She opened her eyes and they were cool, icy, and strangely familiar. A smile crept across her face, and she suddenly ran across the fields playing.

"Do you know what I remember?" a voice echoed through the caves… a young girl's voice.

"What?" said a soft voice, barely audible.

"Everything, of course!" the girl laughed. "I remember that I'm going to meet my mother and father someday, but I do not think they'll like me," she said, her bright smile suddenly fading and becoming serious.

"Of course they will, Ciara! Why wouldn't they?" asked the faded voice.

"I suppose it's because they know I'm going to kill them," Ciara said thoughtfully.

"Really, Ciara, I don't think you're capable of that," said the faded voice.

"I am too capable, I can do anything! Anything at all! Because I can remember!" Ciara said with elation, throwing her hands up to the sky and then falling back in a field of heather.

"Do you know what else I remember?" Ciara said.

"Everything?" said the soft voice.

"Yes," Ciara chuckled, "but I didn't meant that! I meant something specific!"

"And what is that?" the voice said tolerantly.

"I just remembered exactly how you learn how capable I am!" Ciara said proudly, gazing up at the sky.

Ambrose frowned at the fading vision, finding himself glancing back at the disturbing image he had seen of himself when he had first come in, realizing how similar it had been to the girl he saw.

"Aeris was her fae guardian," Viviane said evenly. "I'm afraid they found her dead the next morning. Do you know who the girl that you just saw was?"

"I suppose from the name… it might have been Ciardoth," Ambrose said cautiously.

"Yes," Viviane said softly. "Yes, and because of Severus' efforts, she no longer exists. However, despite her boasts, she did not succeed in killing her parents. As you can plainly see, I am still here," she said with a thin smile, nodding when she saw the stunned expression on Ambrose's face. "As is your father, obviously," she said, a bit more put out about that fact. "Ciara was Merlin's child as well, Ambrose, and that is why your godfather is afraid of you, and has been since the day you were born. And that is why you should also not trust him. If you were to go astray, he would not hesitate to destroy you either, you know."

Ambrose found himself off balance and sat down on one of the crystals lying on the floor, his head swimming as it tried to sink in. Ciardoth had been his half-sister? And Severus was afraid he would turn out the same way? It never occurred to him that Viviane might have been lying. Somehow, he knew she wasn't. In fact, despite the fact he was having trouble digesting it, in some ways, things seemed even clearer to him than ever before.

"If I ever got as mental as Ciardoth got," Ambrose said after such a long pause that Viviane had nearly forgotten what they were talking about. "I think… I think I'd still trust the Professor to do the right thing, even if it meant he had to kill me to make things right again." Viviane blinked at him in complete surprise.

"Yes, well, suit yourself, I suppose. I simply meant it as a warning," Viviane said, stepping to the center of the room. Her dress changed then to one of silver; long, sparkling, and timeless, her hair lose and curling down to her shoulders. "I must go and meet out visitor."

"Father, don't! It's a trap!" Ambrose shouted frantically.

"He can't hear you, silly boy," Viviane said, as spout of water propelled her upwards. "Now stay here, Ambrose, and no looking and no touching. I'm sure we can negotiate a release soon enough."

"At least let me see him!" Ambrose begged, but she had already ascended to the top.

"Do you want me to tell you how to get out of here?" asked the image of himself, which had suddenly returned upon her disappearance. "I can help you save your father, if that's what you really want to do."

"I don't want your help," Ambrose said evenly. "I know what you're really like. You act too much like Ciara was acting."

"If I can get you out of here, does that really matter?" the image asked.

"It does to me," Ambrose said. "I can get out of here on my own!"

"By the time you figure out how to get out of here, your father will probably be dead," the image snorted. "Care to see how your father dies?"

"No!" Ambrose shouted firmly. "He isn't going to die. You're a liar! And I do know a way to get out by myself!"

"Fine, prove it then, so I can heckle you when you come up short because of your stupid moral values," he said.

There had been a change in his tone that time, and had Ambrose thought very long about it, he would have realized that the image now sounded a great deal like Don when he was tempting to goad Ambrose into doing something he would regret. But frantic with wanting to get out, and filled with fear over what Viviane might be capable of, Ambrose raced down the hall, stumbling several times and cutting his shins on the rocks as he did so, doing his best to ignore the images of Ciardoth that kept peeking through the glass. Eerie whispering voices called his name, echoing through the tunnels, reminding him that his mother was out there somewhere, worried and wondering where he was.

The whispers grew louder and more persistent rather than softer, and the tingle that he had felt when he had first entered those caverns seemed to be surging through all of him instead of just his hand.

This time when the urge came to reach up, he could no longer resist.

* * *

Merlin stood on the shore with furrowed bushy brows and a fixed expression as the lake began to bubble. Viviane emerged in her full splendor, despite the fact that she knew that Merlin would be anything but impressed.

"I see you have decided to come," Viviane said with a smile.

"Decided?" Merlin repeated hotly.

"I have been having a heartfelt discussion with your son. Have you come to fetch him?" Viviane inquired politely.

"He should never have been taken at all!"

"He should never have been born at all," Viviane said primly.

"You mind your own business! That is not for you to decide!" Merlin snapped.

"You are intentionally undermining the balance of this world, Merlin."

"Oh poppycock! I'm doing nothing of the sort! If anyone has been interfering, it's you!" Merlin said, and Viviane suddenly laughed.

"My interference is nothing compared to what someone else has done recently," she said with a triumphant smile. Merlin took a deep breath, but since he didn't have a clue who or what she was talking about, he was having trouble coming up with a suitable argument.

"That is neither here nor there! The only thing that matters at the moment is having the boy back where he belongs, and I demand that some sort of settlement be worked out at once!" Merlin said.

"A settlement?" Viviane repeated, rather liking the sound of that. "The settlement is quite simple. You simply have to take his place. He's in that oak tree. Up there on the cliff."

"Oh, not the oak tree again! Can't you pick something more original? You have no idea what it's like to get stuck having birds make homes on your head for years, not to mention squirrels…chipmunks, and I won't even get into what the dogs do…."

"And just think! Soon that'll be an experience shared by both father and son!" Viviane said with a laugh. "Of course, there is a good side to that, considering he won't have to go through puberty while he's a tree. Might get rather dull, though…"

"All right, all right! After all, I did promise his mother I would get him back. But I will only agree if I get your assurances that you will not harm him and you will send him right back!"

"You have my word that I will not harm him so long as you are in that tree," Viviane said.

"And you will mind your own business and not interfere in his decisions again!"" Merlin added, pointing an accusing finger at her. Viviane stopped and thought it over.

"Well, I shouldn't, considering it isn't part of your original bargain, but very well, I shall agree to it."

"Shall we shake on it?" Merlin asked. Viviane wrinkled her nose at the offer with distaste. "Fine!" he said, marching up the bank and over to the ledge, pausing in front of a large oak tree thoughtfully. "You did say we have an agreement?"

"You know I don't go against my word," Viviane said evenly.

"Do you get much lightning up here?" Merlin mused, looking up at the sky.

"Not since our daughter died, no," Viviane said primly. "Let's just hope your son doesn't pick up the same habits."

"My son has an advantage that our daughter never did, Viviane," Merlin said crisply. "He has a kind, loving and understanding mother. And that is something you most decidedly are not!" he said, putting his back to the tree and daring her to try to get the last word in.

"True," Viviane said simply, and with a set of motions, the bark of the tree seemed to moving around him until Merlin was absorbed into the tree itself.

_I am here, _said a moan, very much like a low, lonely wind. _But where is the boy?_

"Oh, that, well I didn't really put him in the tree, Merlin, I would have had to get him to agree to that for the spell to work, as you well know."

_What? You tricked me again?_

"See what your human blood get you?" Viviane said mischievously but then paused as the ground trembled and a sound much like thunder rumbled through the air.

_Is that a storm coming?_

"No," Viviane said evenly. "That was your son pulling the Sword from the crystal."

_No! What have you done? It can't possibly be time for that! Viviane, you must stop him! _

"Oh, but I can't," Viviane said innocently. "I gave my word that I wouldn't interfere in his decisions. He pulled the Sword to release himself from the cave, so I dare say he is going home on his own. But don't worry, Merlin, I won't harm him. Now that you are safely tucked away, there is one other thorn in my side that needs plucked."

_You won't get away with this, Viviane. You have gone too far this time!_

"No, your son has gone too far," Viviane said primly. "Unfortunately, you have no choice but to sit there, gather moss, and watch everything self destruct. Funny, I have an odd feeling of deja vu just now. Have we done this before?"

_It won't be the same result this time, Viviane! This time it is going to backfire on you, my apprentice will see to that!_

"I rather think he'll have his hands tied if he even tries," Viviane said unworriedly. "I had better check and see what that foul urchin of yours did to my back door. Have a nice winter slumber, Merlin dear," she added happily before water shot out of the lake and enveloped her, pulling her back under.

_Well drat_, moaned the tree.


	30. Bearing the Sword

_A/N Second Chapter this weekend. Hope you had a great holiday! ~JCWriter._

Thirty

Bearing the Sword

It wasn't long after Ambrose had managed to scramble out of the cave and into the woods that he came to a very alarming conclusion: steel long swords were heavy!

At least he thought it was steel. He found an embankment to scurry down so he could stop to rest, studying the sword for the first time since he pulled it. Whenever the sunlight slipped through the trees, it had blinding glint to it that was almost mesmerizing. Ancient runes were engraved on the same edge on both sides of the blade; but the runes were quite different in style, so much so that Ambrose wondered if they even had the same source. Despite the blade's polished appearance, the hilt itself was blackened with tarnish and looked very much like it needed a good cleaning. A touch of green under the gems set into the guard gave hints to its bronze nature, and some sort of material had been wrapped around the base to try to protect the hilt's ornate workmanship.

"I'm going to have to make some changes in my tapestry," Ambrose decided. "But I certainly can't keep dragging you about like this, so I'm going to wrap you up in my coat, I think. I rather don't like dragging you at all considering where you've been…your history… wow," Ambrose said.

It finally hit home that he was attempting to polish the hilt of the sword of Arthur himself. It had called to him… that's how he knew it could help him… it knew just where to swing to cause the cavern to open and it showed him the way out. But since then it had been subdued and had not offered him any direction of what to do next or how to get out of his current predicament. It simply lay there like any normal sword, but a normal sword it was not. Ambrose took off his dress coat, shivering a bit as he wrapped the sword, wondering again where his wand went.

"What am I going to do? I can't get home on foot, but I can't fly off and leave you here. If only I had a strength potion, that would be something," Ambrose said, still talking at the sword as if half expecting it to talk back.

Just then he heard a high trill, and in surprise looked around until he saw a kingfisher sitting on a high branch overlooking the gully he was in.

"Halcyon?" Ambrose said skeptically, dubious that it could possibly be him. But Halcyon acknowledged him with a trill of recognition, and Ambrose's eyes widened in surprise. "Halcyon! I don't believe it! Is Mr. Toby around? I'm in awful trouble! I got kidnapped by the Lady of the Lake and had to steal Caledfwlch to get out, but it's very heavy and I don't even have my wand with me. Can you go find Mr. Toby? Or at least get me some sort of help! If I stay here too long, Lady Viviane is going to find me for sure and father is in awful trouble… no wait! Forget about me, get Merlin some help!"

Halcyon tilted its head to the side and chirped questioningly at him before flying off again. Ambrose sighed.

"I suppose I ought to wait here so he can find me again," Ambrose decided, looking up towards the sky. "I just hope he's not too late."

* * *

"Severus!"

Severus and Jennifer stood in the restless crowd, both wondering what was taking Lucky so long, when they looked up in surprise to see Ashley running towards them with Dale and Lucky following right behind her.

"Severus, they're in trouble!" Ashley said, and immediately got hushed as Aurelius ran up and somehow managed to keep the rest of the guests from rushing over.

"What's going on?" Severus said, taking note of what Aurelius was doing before turning his attention to Ashley who was right up on him in seconds.

"Your Aunt took Ambrose. I had sent him to find Toby… Toby has gone after them, but it's happened!" Ashley said, upset.

"What's happened?" Severus asked in a quiet but insistent voice, holding onto her arm to steady her as Dumbledore and Minerva rushed up as well.

"He's lost his memory," Ashley sobbed. "He knew who he was, but he didn't remember Ambrose or me, or even you. He grabbed a handful of those notes he was writing and went to confront her. He said he was going to send Ambrose along, but it didn't sound like he was coming back. I'm so worried!"

"The old man can take care of himself. Ambrose is another matter," Severus said evenly, looking to see was around. "We need to disperse this crowd so I can deal with this."

"I'll handle that, Severus," Albus quickly volunteered. "I was going to officiate, after all. I'll simply let them know that Ambrose is missing and we need to postpone."

"Come, Ashley, we had better go find Bartholomew so he knows what's going on," Minerva offered, managing to pull the sobbing woman away from Severus and walking her away.

"I had better go try and find them," Severus said, pulling out his watch.

"No, I had better do that," Aurelius said, coming up and putting a hand over Severus' watch. "It's bad enough Merlin played into her hands. Let's not make the same mistake and give her a way to get rid of you too."

"I doubt she sees me as a threat at the moment," Severus said.

"All the same, if I do have to do anything drastic to get him out of there, there will be less repercussions," Aurelius said. "I'll go."

"Let him go, Severus," Jennifer said, and Severus gazed at her thoughtfully. She had a distant look on her face, but he was suddenly aware those were the first words she had spoken in quite some time.

"Mirror me the moment you find him," Severus said evenly.

"Sir?" Severus and Aurelius looked over to see Dale standing nearby with a solemn expression on his face. "Sir, I don't think Ambrose took Archimedes with him today. He's an awful smart owl, maybe he can help you find him."

"Aurelius, take Archimedes with you," Severus agreed and Aurelius nodded before slipping away, and then turned his attention to Corey who had run up looking worried.

"What's going on? Dumbledore just said that Ambrose is missing?" Corey asked.

"Aurelius just went after him, but since you are here, I was wondering if we couldn't borrow your house for a sort of command post, since some of Ashley's guests are bound to stay around to try and figure out what's going on and her shop isn't that big."

"Absolutely," Corey said.

"I think I had better make sure Toby's shop is secure, then I will be over there. Jennifer, could you take… Jennifer?" Severus said, and then realized she was no longer at his side. Instead, she was helping Dumbledore face off with his sister, while Sirius had a firm arm around her.

"But she won't harm me! At least let me go talk to her…" Anna was saying when Severus walked over.

"Talk or demand, Anna?" Dumbledore said knowingly. "If you go in there with your anger fired up and magic blazing as I know it can, things will not end well, niece or not."

"Albus is right, Anna, please don't do it," Jennifer pleaded.

"I agree, I think we need to know more about what's going on first," Sirius said, glancing up as Severus stepped closer.

"Anna, the public at large knows nothing other than Ambrose is missing, and I'd prefer to keep it that way. Us charging anywhere right now would do nothing but look suspicious," Severus said.

"Who cares?" Anna snapped.

"I've sent Aurelius after them, so let's give him some time first. In the meantime, I've asked Corey to open his house up to any who are concerned. I suggest we begin to head over there," Severus said.

"I need to have a quick word with Alicia and one or two others, Severus, then I'll bring Lucky to Corey's," Jennifer said.

"Very well, I'll meet you there," Severus said. "Shall we go ahead and start over?" Severus asked, gazing fixedly at his sister.

"Let me go get Lindsay," Sirius said, going back over to the main crowd.

"You realize you can't stop me if I decide I want to go anyhow, don't you?" Anna said.

"Yes, I know, but I'm hoping you have more sense than that. If I have to stay, so do you," Severus said firmly.

"Why are you staying again?" Anna challenged him, but Severus didn't answer.

* * *

Ambrose shivered in the cold, wondering what was taking the bird so long to get back and debating whether or not to start a fire. He began to gather fuel, just in case he did decide to risk it, but all the wood was damp from sitting in the snow.

Suddenly, a stick fell from the sky and hit him on the top of his head. Ambrose cried out in both pain and surprise, looking up to see the kingfisher had returned, and was trilling at him.

"All this time and all you brought me was this gnarled old stick?" Ambrose scolded him, picking up the stick and was about to toss it into his woodpile. But at the last moment, something held him back… the smoothness to the wood, perhaps, or the weight of it, or the way it felt in his hand… he paused and studied it carefully, frowning. "It really does _look_ like a gnarled old stick," he murmured, but then pointed it at the woodpile.

"_Inflamare!_" he intoned, and the spell shot out of the wand and let the wood, which smoked mightily for several seconds before finally catching on fire, Ambrose casting another spell to quickly disperse the smoke between coughs. Getting back up on his feet, he got to work, first putting a ward against cold on himself before transfiguring his coat into a sort of sling for the sword so he could more easily drag it without worrying about it falling out. "This is much better! I think I can go on now that I've a wand of sorts. I should probably try to get some real help… er… no offense," he added with the kingfisher ruffled his feathers indignantly. "Can you take me to Mr. Toby? If you're around he must be around somewhere," Ambrose asked, but the bird simply peered at him with its piercing eyes. "No, I suppose he's at the wedding. Boy, is Mum going to be worried! I should get a message to her. Can you get a message to my Mum?" Ambrose asked.

But Halcyon simply tilted his head and let out a whistle before taking flight again, landing several trees away.

"No, wait! Wait for me!" Ambrose said in a panic, nearly forgetting to put out the fire in his haste. Quickly he cast a spell to bury it, tossing on an extra amount of snow to be safe before scrambling up the other side of the embankment, still pulling the sword behind him. "Wow, this is still heavy! How anyone could possibly carry this around one's waist is beyond me!" he puffed. "I need something I can turn into a sled. Do you see any wood up there?" Ambrose asked, but Halcyon looked up at the trees and then down at the boy as if he was daft. "Not that sort of wood! Not the sort still on a tree, but finished wood, like a board or some old fencing, anything like that would be easy to transfigure," Ambrose said. "Please? I'll move a lot faster then," he explained. Halcyon took off again, while Ambrose decided to follow the gully downstream. "For, where there's water, there's more likely to be people nearby," Ambrose reasoned out loud. "I wonder where I am?"

Ambrose slipped and slid for a while, until he finally remembered the footprint spell, and found he could make much more progress with that. But his feet were already wet and his dress shoes practically frozen, and it had started to snow again.

At last he heard the familiar whistle of the kingfisher, but this time it was accompanied by a curious hoot. Ambrose looked up in surprise, and then grinned with relief when he saw his wooden familiar.

"Archimedes! Archimedes, it is you, you've found me!" Ambrose said, laughing. "Although this isn't really what I had in mind when I asked for a bit of finished wood!" he said, Halycon ruffling his feathers in exasperation again.

"Ambrose!" called someone in the distance, far enough that Ambrose had to listen to it several times before he recognized the voice.

"Aurelius?" Ambrose called back. "Rel! Over here! I'm over here!" Ambrose said. The two birds flew away, coming back with the exasperated Auror.

"What are you doing, having a picnic?" Aurelius scolded him when he got close. "I smelled smoke earlier and followed it to a drowned fire… how did you get out here by yourself? Where is your cloak? Why didn't you call for help?

"I've been trying! But I couldn't just leave it behind!" Ambrose explained defensively.

"Leave what behind?" Aurelius asked. Ambrose didn't say anything at first; he simply stood there looking guilty. But what Aurelius read in his face was enough to make his eyes widen in disbelief and scramble for the bundle behind Ambrose. He opened the sling, stared at the sword inside of it for a moment and then shut it again, turning back around to stare at the boy.

"It was an accident. Sort of," Ambrose said.

"Some accident!" Aurelius exclaimed.

"But I knew it could help me get out of there! It's terrible in there, Aurelius! It's… it's full of evil images, images that wanted me to do things I wouldn't do! I couldn't stay there! She didn't even want me, not really. She was after my father! Do you know if he's all right?" Ambrose asked. Aurelius gazed at the boy searchingly for a while before sighing, glancing up at where Halcyon and Archimedes sat.

"Honestly, I don't know, Ambrose," Aurelius said quietly. "I really don't. But I have to get you back."

"But what about the sword?"

"Well, we can't exactly leave it here in the snow, can we?" Aurelius said, taking out his contact mirror, focusing on it until an image appeared. "I found Ambrose, father. He's mostly safe. No, I'd rather not explain what I mean by that right now. Besides, I think you're going to want to sit down for this one. No, no sign of him yet, but I thought I'd better bring Ambrose back first. Yes, I have the cabin key, but if you're coming to meet us, you might want to come alone. There's something you need to know, and I'd rather show you. Right, then I'll see you in a minute or two."

He put away the mirror then and reluctantly reached down and pulled out Excalibur, pausing to look at it in awe. Ambrose was too busy noticing just how easily the sword seemed to come into his hands and how effortless it had been for him to pick it up, a curious look crossing Aurelius' face as he gazed at the sword. Aurelius caught himself when he realized he was standing there staring at it and that Ambrose was staring at him.

"Right, well… put your coat back on and let's go," he said, unceremoniously plucking Archimedes off Ambrose's shoulder and stuffing him in his cloak pocket, ignoring the wooden bird's protests. Halcyon, not wanting to be stuffed in anyone's pocket, wisely decided to fly off. "I imagine that Father will be Apparating over there any second," Aurelius continued. In fact, he was almost expecting Severus to be standing there waiting when the two of them took this key to the front door of the forest cabin. Instead, there was only a passing centaur nearby, pausing curiously and watching as Aurelius quickly opened the door and escorted Ambrose in. "Let's see about getting you warmed up while we wait."

Ambrose sat on the couch and immediately had a blanket thrown over his head, and he soon found himself snuggled up and comfy in front of a blazing fire. He watched as Aurelius pushed the kettle over the stove and tossed Archimedes out of his pocket, the wooden owl looking a bit indignant as he perched on the side of the couch.

It was not long after Aurelius put a warm cup in Ambrose's hands that there was a knock at the door. Peeking out cautiously, Aurelius let his father in. Severus' eyes darted directly to the couch, getting a smile from the boy sitting there, apparently no worse for the wear for being kidnapped other than a pair of rosy cheeks.

"I see you were at least successful in your main task," Severus said questioningly.

"I didn't have to do more than track him down. He had already gotten himself out," Aurelius murmured.

"Gotten himself out?" Severus repeated with surprise.

"Yes, well, it's how he managed it that is the problem," Aurelius explained and walked over to the dining table where he had put the sword.

Severus stared at the sword for a long time. He didn't bother to ask what sword it was; he knew very well what it was. He turned and looked over towards Ambrose, but the boy peeking over the couch quickly shrunk down out of sight.

"That sword should have never… and I do mean never… ever left that cave," Severus said flatly.

"He said he didn't have a choice. She had shown him things in the crystals, Father," Aurelius said evenly. "And they had him scared enough to try it."

"What sort of things?" Severus asked. Aurelius gazed over at the couch and Severus walked over to see the boy gazing into his cup. "What did she show you, Ambrose?"

"My sister," Ambrose murmured, and Severus looked up in horror only to have Aurelius nod solemnly. "Do you suppose… if I went mad… that you will have to kill me too?" Ambrose asked with a serious expression that left Severus completely stunned. "Viviane said that's why you're my godfather, to make sure I didn't turn out like her. But what if I do? She was my age when she started to go mad."

"Aurelius," Severus murmured.

"I think I'm going to go change out of my dress robes," Aurelius said quickly, slipping off into the bedroom and closing the door.

"Ambrose, your half-sister…"

"Is your half-sister any less your sister?" Ambrose asked angrily, having hated the term vehemently anytime anyone had called Rose that.

"Ambrose, please, don't interrupt," Severus said with a sigh, having trouble looking into the boy's glossy hurt eyes. "Ambrose, your sister went mad because she inherited Merlin's curse of having no perception of time, giving her the illusion that she saw all times at once."

"Why do you say it's an illusion?" Ambrose asked.

"Because, Ambrose, the future is ever-changing," Severus sighed. "What she saw as future fact were simply memories of what would happen if everything in the present continued to play out without interruption. But there are billions of people on this planet, Ambrose, and it only takes one person to change it."

"I don't know. I get the impression it'd be harder than that," Ambrose said. "A single drop of water changing direction doesn't stop the tide from rolling in, does it?"

"We are getting off the subject," Severus said evenly. "We were discussing Ciardoth."

"Ciara," Ambrose murmured.

"Ciara, then," Severus corrected quietly. "She inherited a curse that by its vary nature tends to make anyone that has it go mad, but it is a curse you do not have."

"I have dreams sometimes," Ambrose admitted.

"That is not the same thing, as your Divination professor can wholeheartedly attest to," Severus said dryly. "And furthermore, I believe that if you are truly worried about going mad, you probably aren't, and you won't be going mad, as long as I and your mother and your army of cousins, nieces and nephew have anything to say about it. Regardless of what you may have seen and regardless what she may have said, your mother and I made all of our decisions about you out of concern for your welfare, Ambrose. While I will admit I have done my best to curtail how much you knew and yes, have even worked to hold back the magic you are capable of doing, it has only been in an attempt to keep you from having to deal with the repercussions of all of this until you were old enough to understand the consequences. As far as I am concerned, you're still too young to be dealing with this yet, not that you left me with any choices in the matter."

"I think I understand," Ambrose said carefully. "Viviane said it was because you were afraid of me, and what I might become."

"Yes, well, I'm not afraid of you, Ambrose, although I'll admit to being afraid _for_ you on occasion. Especially lately," Severus added, frowning at the hilt of the sword visible on the table behind them.

"Well, I'm afraid for my father. What do you think happened to him?" Ambrose asked anxiously. Severus let out a long hissing sound.

"Our attention up until now has been more focused on finding you," Severus said, getting up as Aurelius came out of the back room in a black cloak, pants, and a fine black silk shirt with the Hogwarts crest on it. "But once you are safely back where you belong, I will see what I can find out. In the meantime, we need to find somewhere safe to keep that sword you 'accidentally' pulled out of the cave until the rightful owner is of better humor enough to reclaim it."

"Arthur?" Ambrose asked brightly.

"Viviane," Severus said testily, and Ambrose looked apologetic.

"Aurelius, why don't you take it to the castle for now, while I tend to things here."

"Me?" Aurelius said in surprise, frowning at the sword.

"There is no one else here. I do have to get Ambrose back and start sorting things out in town…"

"Can I at least borrow your school key?" Aurelius complained.

"Aurelius, it's just a short walk, as you well know. It isn't as if anyone is going to see you with the thing," Severus sighed.

"I'd take it back, but it's too heavy for me," Ambrose offered.

"You are not leaving my sight," Severus said sternly.

"Can I at least try minimizing it?" Aurelius said.

"Need you even ask such a question? You know it isn't wise to try any spells on artifacts without knowing what charms are on it, Aurelius, and legends or not, magically speaking we know nothing about that sword yet. Simply hide it in your cloak once you get to the castle. I trust you'll know what to do with it from there," Severus said. "Come now, this is no time to be squeamish, you've carried it this far. We need to get that sword contained before anyone finds out we have it," Severus said, opening the door.

But the moment they stepped outside, all three stopped short. Ambrose peered around the Headmaster in amazement, for nearly all of the centaur elders and warriors of the Dark Forest's constellation were standing in front of the cabin with solemn expressions. A centaur with a mottled red coat and grey hair took a step forward.

"Behold, it is just as the stars have foretold! The tides have changed in the fates of all who pass after us, for this son of Gemini and guardian of our forest has taken up the Light, a symbol of his calling to serve true justice! May its presence be a sign of brighter days, and not a precursor of war, as it had been when it was forged. Bear it well, Rider," Ronan said, folding an arm over his chest and bowing his head, all the others doing the same. Solemnly, Aurelius made the same gesture, but let out a soft hiss at the same time.

"Ah, great, no one will know, thanks a lot, Father," he had hissed. Except for a twitch of the lip, Severus didn't acknowledge him, nodding to the centaurs before escorting Ambrose swiftly past them.


	31. Unspoken Resolutions

_A/N Finished this book late last night/early morning :) 44 chapters, a few dozen pages shy of Twilight. Expect updates more often as I get them edited, and don't forget to double check your chapters, wouldn't want anyone to miss anything. :) Thanks for reading, thanks for reviews, and I hope you like it! JCWriter._

Chapter Thirty-One

Unspoken Resolutions

Despite the early hour, Viviane was unsurprised to sense that she had visitors standing near the lake. She had been expecting them. But that wasn't so unusual; for no one truly came to that lake without being expected.

There was no point to putting on flash or sparkle. She simply wandered out of the cave entrance and walked along the shore, noting the white-lipped expression on Anna's face and Severus' stony and yet exhausted appearance.

"You know, before the Romans came, I had many priestesses who would get up just before dawn to worship me," Viviane said as she walked up to them, smiling thinly. "For some reason, I highly doubt that is why you're here, however. Severus, you look as if you haven't even been to bed yet. Silly 'New Years' rituals I suppose?"

"Any sleep I have lost has been due to what you caused with your little escapade yesterday, Aunt Viviane," Severus said curtly. "I had quite a mess to clean up…"

"Very little of it was my doing, Severus," Viviane said chidingly. "I admit to borrowing the boy for a few hours, but I didn't harm him, and I certainly didn't give him permission to steal my property or break through one of my cavern walls."

"A lot of that which he wouldn't have done had you not let him get a glimpse in your crystals…"

"Severus, I'll have you know that I simply left him alone in the dark for a moment; he did the rest on his own. Besides, you very well that what one sees in those crystals lies within them, I have no more say so on what his soul wants to tell him than I do anyone else."

"He wouldn't have found out about Ciardoth on his own, Aunt Viviane," Severus said firmly.

"He would have found out sooner or later," Viviane pointed out.

"Yes, but not now," Severus snapped. "Have you no compassion at all for what that child has been going through lately? He barely understands who he is. He hasn't even begun to understand what he is, and you throw this at him!"

"Are you truly angry at me because Ambrose found out, or are you simply angry of how inconvenient it was to you?" Viviane asked.

"Can we just skip with the back and forth games?" Anna snapped, getting both of their attention. "I want to know what happened to Merlin, Aunt Viviane."

"Happened?" Viviane repeated innocently.

"Yes, what about that, Viviane, where is he?" Severus asked.

"Would you believe that he was dead?" Viviane asked toyingly.

"No," they both said at once in the same flat tone.

"Oh. Well, no, I suppose not. Actually, the two of us came to an agreement of sorts. I agreed to let the boy go and promised not to interfere in Ambrose's decisions anymore, and he would get out of the picture, so to speak. So I'm afraid you won't be seeing him for a while. You'll simply have to manage without," Viviane said cheerfully.

"Where did you send him? Back to the Otherworld?" Anna asked.

"Why don't you ask Jennifer? She seems to have all the answers lately," Viviane said coolly.

"Anna, I seriously doubt she could send Merlin to the Otherworld unless he wanted to be sent, the closest you can possibly get to that would be her own cave," Severus said.

"Why don't you go and look Severus?" Viviane suggested with an enigmatic smile.

"Because I am not a fool," Severus retorted.

"I'll go look," Anna offered evenly. "There's nothing in those crystals that would intimidate me."

"Don't be so sure of that," Viviane said, in a quieter, much more serious tone than before. "And although it's true by blood andheritage alone that you would fare better than most when it came to distinguishing between the visions in there, your past is hardly without treasures for the crystals to exploit and use against you, even if they may not be quite as self defeating as Severus' might be." A wry smile crept up in her face again, apparently amused that both of their expressions were so deadly serious. "The fates of mortals. Really, it's a messy business. But he is not in my home, so searching wouldn't do you any good anyway… nor will trying to call for him, for he happens to be sleeping rather deeply now. You will simply have to make your way without the old fool from now on."

"He hasn't been harmed?" Anna said unsurely. Viviane sighed impatiently.

"Why would I do something when there is absolutely no point to it? The facts are quite simple, dear child. He overstepped his bounds, so now has to go away. As long as he can't interfere anymore, why would I care one way or the other if he is harmed or not? Really, the facts are quite plain. The boy stays, the meddler goes away… well, one of them, at any rate," Viviane amended.

"Plain enough, I'm sure, from your point of view, but you are forgetting that he is hardly going without representation. I am still here," Severus said evenly. Viviane smirked.

"Severus, my dear, between your wife and that sword, I believe you are going to have your hands much too full to be worried about what I am doing," Viviane said unconcernedly.

"Actually, I was planning to return the sword, once I learned what the situation was with Merlin…"

"Oh, it's much too late for that now, Severus. That sword likes to bond to its new owner, and if I'm not mistaken that has probably already happened. You really don't think an artifact that old has survived this many years without picking up some quirks?" Viviane said with amusement. "There are two charms on the blade, other than its skill for battle, you know. One that determines when the sword should be wielded, and one that determines when it should be cast away… or in simpler terms, tossed back down to me. If the sword wants to have an adventure or two, there's very little I can do about it until it has finished its quest and is ready to return."

"Quest? You've got to be kidding," Anna said in disbelief.

"Well, it's either that or it wants to prove itself in battle, and since Britain really hasn't been invaded by barbarian warlords in several centuries, I imagine it'll be the former, don't you?" Viviane said.

"Great, that's just lovely," Anna sighed.

"I don't suppose you have any hints to what that quest might be?" Severus said.

"Oh, well, no, of course not, I can hardly say for sure what an inanimate object might deem important," Viviane said and then began to wave the idea away before tucking a finger under her chin. "Although, if I did have to hazard a guess, I would imagine that the sword might be interested in finding its scabbard, assuming it still exists."

"You don't know?" Severus said skeptically.

"How would I know if it has never been found?" Viviane asked primly.

"Is there something important about the scabbard?" Anna asked with a frown.

"The scabbard had a powerful spell on it, Anna, which kept its owner from bleeding to death when impaled, and also kept wounds from festering," Severus explained. "It was said that Morgan Le Fey chucked it in a lake… not this one obviously… and the reason that Arthur died was he didn't have it during that last battle."

"No one knows for certain exactly what she truly did with it, or even how she managed to get it. We only know what she says she did with it. She could have lied," Viviane conjectured, sounding distant. "Still, a rather effective sort of revenge towards Arthur, I'd say, after that nasty piece of drama at the end. Then again, anyone stupid enough to sleep with his half-sister deserves what he gets. Arthur always was a fool, and the only one who didn't see it was Merlin himself. But I suppose it's pointless to talk about politics thousands of years removed, isn't it?" she said casually. They gazed back at her with dark expressions. "I believe I shall be going now that I have said my peace. Oh, but Severus, one last warning. Contain your wife before I am forced to contain her," she advised with a smile. "Happy New Year," she added before walking away.

"What did she mean by that last bit? No wait… scratch that… what did she mean about all of what she just said?" Anna complained as Severus turned her around and the two of them walked away from the lake.

"Considering how much information she just gave us, I would say what we saw was how confident she is that she's won, at least for now," Severus said in a low voice. "But I am also certain now that she wasn't the one responsible for Merlin's memory loss just before all of this occurred."

"Why is that?" Anna asked.

"Because even if she had managed to come up with some way to accomplish such a feat, she had absolutely no need to do so. And if there was no point to it, as she said for herself, she would not have gone to the effort," Severus said.

"Well, if she didn't do it, then who did?" Anna asked.

"Perhaps only Merlin might guess," Severus admitted with a sigh. Anna sighed as well.

"Great, and now we may never see him again," Anna muttered.

"We will if I have anything to say about it," Severus said. "Even if that does mean ignoring that last bit of advice she gave."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Anna said.

"Probably just as well," Severus decided. "Come on. Like it or not, sword or not, missing Merlin or not, we still have classes to prepare for next week."

"So what else is new?" Anna said dryly. "The world falls to pieces, and we get stuck with paperwork. How about the next crisis we have revolving around disappearing paperwork? See, I can go for that."

"Bite your tongue, it's the only stable thing in my life right now," Severus murmured back, getting a wry grin in response before the two of them Apparated back to Corey's.

* * *

Severus woke up and turned on his side, gazing at Jennifer in the dim light for a long while, watching her sleep. She looked so very young as she slept; in fact, it was the only time other than brief moments when he was making love to her that she still looked young any more. Most of the time, she simply looked timeless; and only part of it was because of her change in style. There was also something about the weight of the look in her eyes and the subtle changes in her smile that also were to blame, and the evident loss of the naivety he had once tried so hard to protect. A pang of regret shot through him, and he resisted the urge to wake her up, forcing himself to remember that he had a daughter to account for.

He carefully slipped out of his bed and grabbed his watch, reassured when he saw that Fortuna's hand rested on "Baker Street," as did Andrew's. Then he noticed Andrew's hand begin to swing over to Hogwarts, so Severus threw on a robe and slipped down the stairs, managing to be down them before Andrew took more than a dozen steps inside the castle.

"Oh, good morning, Happy New Year," Andrew chuckled tiredly. "What time is it here?"

"Just after six," Severus said quietly, falling into step beside him. "How was New York?"

"Fine for the most part, except two different people commented how much Lucky looked like the girl that hit Dale Chance," Andrew said with a grin. "In fact, the one we ran into in Kingler's mentioned that some of the magazines and newspapers are offering rewards for photos of her."

"Lovely. Perhaps I'll call in a favor so that there are no problems with her getting to the station then," Severus said, more than a little annoyed that she was in any sort of spotlight at all.

"Sally sent a message that she would like Mum to drop by… I guess Rob has been in and out of the hospital a lot recently, but they've hired more help. Oh, and you're not going to believe this, but that gorgeous new waitress of theirs has got herself engaged," Andrew said with amusement.

"Considering I haven't got a clue as to whom you're talking about, why wouldn't I believe it?" Severus shrugged.

"Because it was to Mark Ghent. Apparently she is absolute crazy about him and is convinced he can do no wrong," Andrew said, looking even more amused when he saw his father's look of complete disgust. "I think I know what I'm doing wrong with women now. I think I need a public record of some sort, since everyone I know who has one is married."

"Did you want to lose your job?" Severus said flatly.

"No, good point," Andrew admitted. "How is Rel?"

"Still stunned last I saw him yesterday. He stayed in the castle last night to avoid the centaurs, so perhaps I'll go check on him," Severus mused, glancing at his watch.

"Then I am going to bed," Andrew declared as they paused at his sitting room door. "Good night, Father."

"Don't forget your class notes are due tomorrow," Severus said and Andrew waved off the reminder in protest as he went inside.

But Severus had already turned his attention to Aurelius, glancing at the watch with a thoughtful expression before making his way to the library, pausing only once to banter at a couple of students that were heading down for breakfast. He frowned critically at their expressions when he asked them if they had done their holiday homework yet, but got nervous grins when he admitted that he doubted the ones who had gotten to go home had started on theirs yet either. The library itself was quite empty, not that he was surprised; very few students had stayed that year. He was about to walk back to the staff library when Boulderdash puttered through with a small stack of books, sneering when he saw who it was.

"He's in my office," Boulderdash said with a snarl much like a chuckle. "He had the sense to come to someone who knew something about cleaning swords before he tried it himself," he explained as he opened the door and nodded cordially, waiting for the Headmaster to go in first.

Aurelius was sitting on a stool and was carefully wrapping the hilt in a complex braid of leathers, pausing to look up at them with a forlorn expression on his face. Boulderdash walked over, appearing as apologetic as a goblin could.

"I'm afraid this is all I could find. As it so happens, Mr. Bailey checked out most of my books on anything having to do Merlin and Arthurian legends and took them home for the holidays," Boulderdash explained.

"I have a number in my personal library you can borrow, Aurelius," Severus offered. "Although some of them are definitely not in modern English. Are you looking up information on the scabbard?"

"I'd rather not carry this thing around any longer than necessary, thanks," Aurelius said dryly, but Boulderdash drew himself up with an expression twice his size and a dark glint in his black eyes.

"Thing? You are calling the greatest sword ever made next to goblin-crafted a mere thing? Do have some respect for what you're wielding, boy!" Boulderdash said indignantly, but Aurelius simply looked amused.

"What about those claims when you first saw it that you were absolutely positive it _was_ goblin made?" Aurelius challenged him. Boulderdash harrumphed.

"Yes, well, that is what we were taught, after all, but as the son of a weaponsmith, I must believe my eyes. The hilt's décor is definitely human, it has all the earmarks, although exceptionally well done for the time, and the blade itself can only have been Fae wrought; not only are the runes obviously Elven, but it was wrought in the days where humans in this country bore arms of iron and bronze. In fact, I wouldn't doubt that some of the legend of its invincibility might have been just because it was that much stronger and more balanced than any other weapon in Europe at that time period, rather than any true measure of its magical nature. There is also an interesting alloy in the steel I can't identify, but whatever it may be, it simply strengthens it rather than gives the bearer any extra prowess in battle. It does have a very strong enchantment on it, though."

"How lucky for me," Aurelius said dryly, looking over at his father. "It seems to have something of a quest curse inscribed on the blade."

"Here, let me take a look," Severus said, putting on his spectacles as Aurelius held it out. "No, no, on the table. I certainly don't want the thing."

"The thing again!" Boulderdash said with exasperation.

"Neither do I!" Aurelius protested firmly, daring Boulderdash to say anything more about it.

"Let's see now… they look Fae, a Danaan dialect at that," Severus murmured just as much to himself as to the two watching him. "'He who taketh me must wieldeth me," Severus mused.

"We can do without the 'eth's,' Father," Rel said dryly.

"Sorry, but it does have a classic air about it," Severus said, Rel staring at him with a critical gaze that was decidedly Snape. "'He who takes me, must carry me.' Either way, I think that is quite clear.... and the other side translates to; 'Cast me into crystal waters when thy deeds are done,'" he finished. Aurelius gave him another dirty look for the 'thy,' but a grunt from Boulderdash distracted him.

"It's interesting that the sword didn't seem much attached to the boy at all considering he was the one that released it from the cave," the goblin growled in thought.

"If you were over a thousand years old and you were just dragged through a snowy swamp by a kid like that, you wouldn't want to be attached to him either," Aurelius said flatly.

"No, I don't suppose I would at that," the goblin growled. "And remind me to teach Mr. Bailey some basic etiquette when dealing with blades."

"I wonder," Severus murmured thoughtfully, carefully studying the 'wield' side of the sword. "Perhaps his heritage is to blame."

"A good theory, father, but don't we have the same heritage? You are supposed to be the direct line," Aurelius pointed out.

"Yes, but so we're many generations removed that we are ninety-nine percent human," Severus said. "Ambrose, however, is a quarter demon and an eighth Fae, not to mention Merlin's son and not descendent. I wonder… was this inscribed when the sword was being made?"

"Well, after the blade was made, obviously," Boulderdash said with a toothy grin. "But if you mean if it was done on the day it was forged, I have no way of telling. If it had been on the hilt, it would have been easy, for it has shown some age; but the blade itself is as polished and gleaming as the day if was first wielded, so I have nothing to compare."

"You believe Merlin may have put the enchantment on?" Aurelius said, gazing at his father searchingly.

"That definitely would explain the exclusion, yes, and I doubt it has to do with Ambrose's age. By some accounts of the story, Arthur was about the same age as Ambrose when Merlin began to poke his nose in," Severus said. "Perhaps we should have Jennifer take a look at it. She may be able to tell whether the enchantment was part of the original casting or not," Severus said, glancing at his watch. "She seems to be busy at the moment."

"Does it really matter when the charm was put on there?" Aurelius asked with a sigh. Severus was momentarily distracted but then realized what Aurelius had said, nodding his head as he put the watch away.

"Yes, it might, Aurelius. I want to know why Ambrose was passed over, or rather, why the sword seems to have chosen you, as well as why Viviane seems so sure we'll find this scabbard of hers. I also want to know exactly what Viviane thinks she is going to gain if you do recover that scabbard, and what sort of agreement she made with the old man that is keeping him away from here," Severus said.

"I have another. How about wanting to know why Mum is in the North Tower visiting Icarus at a time like this? Or aren't you in the least bit curious why she's been spending so much time around him lately when she's gone out of her way to avoid him for as long as I can remember?" Aurelius challenged him. Boulderdash also gazed over at Severus, but with a look filled more with curiosity than accusation.

"Your mother can visit whoever she likes," Severus said unconcernedly. "Got any paper and charcoal?" he asked Boulderdash. Aurelius sighed as the two of them got absorbed with the task of making an imprint of the etchings. He shook his head and reached for one of the books Boulderdash had brought and started to look through it.

"I just don't understand," Jennifer said from where she sat on one end of Ick's office with her tea. Ick was on the other end of the room drinking his own rancid tea with unpleasant lumps of cream, stirring in the floating mold sitting near the dark-stained rim of the cup. "Why didn't we see it coming? I mean, why couldn't I see anything at all? Honestly, Ick, you could have at least warned me about the sword, even if you didn't think I could do anything about it," Jennifer protested.

"Well, obviously, I didn't warn you because I didn't know it was going to happen," Ick said. "Wondered, perhaps, considering the strange portents of the stars lately, but I certainly never remembered such a thing occurring during the years I had living memories. Fate must have changed at some point since then."

"But that's what baffles me most, really. Essie knew something was coming, although not quite what, and the Obol wasn't showing me visions, but all the centaurs have been saying for months that something profound was going to happen to Aurelius. Even Sagittari knew about it because he mentioned it on my birthday," Jennifer said.

"Well at least if it's been happening since your birthday, we know that whatever happened to change the path isn't likely to be anything you've done recently, is it?" Icarus pointed out.

"I admit the thought had occurred to me," Jennifer said sheepishly. "But everything I've done other than pure research was simply to try to make Lucky and Ambrose's lives a bit more tolerable for them."

"And the vampire thing," Ick pointed out.

"Well, yes, and that," Jennifer said, slightly annoyed that he brought it up. "But there's something else that has been bugging me. What about that day when Viviane came up here at the beginning of the school year? You admitted that you remembered Merlin losing his memory."

"Yes, Jennifer, but I am not telling you any more about that than I told her," Icarus said solemnly.

"I understand, Ick. I just think it's interesting that you do remember him losing his memory but don't remember anyone pulling the sword," Jennifer said.

"I'm not speaking about it," Icarus said firmly, fading out of view so she couldn't try to read his expressions. "Besides, if what you truly are after is a way to find Merlin, you already have it, I think. You simply have to ask the right question."

"You're right! I should have thought of that before, but so much has happened since yesterday!" Jennifer said with exasperation.

"Yes, but I would be very careful, if I were you. Viviane is not likely to take kindly to anyone interfering in the events she herself has set into motion, and you do not want to turn her head in your direction. She may start to suspect what you've been doing to try to change certain events before they happen, and if she does, you will be put in very grave danger," Icarus warned.

"The only person guilty of changing fate right now is her, considering I am quite certain she intentionally left Ambrose alone in that cave knowing full well what would happen, and she deliberately looked the other way when he took the sword," Jennifer said.

"She would most likely argue that it is her job to change fate."

"It's everyone's job to change fate, Ick," Jennifer sighed. "At least the bad ones."

"If that fate is your own, perhaps," Icarus said somberly.

"Oh, come now, Ick, you of all people know better than that! You tried to protect the world for generations to come…"

"And got eternally condemned for it," Ick reminded her.

"At least I haven't hurt anyone to do it," Jennifer snapped.

"Except that vampire," Icarus said drolly.

"Yes, well… that was different," Jennifer said defensively, and laughter rang out from around her.

"Typical Jennifer! It's always different when it's something you have done, isn't it?" Icarus said.

"I didn't murder my family!" Jennifer shouted angrily.

"I saved my family from a worse fate," Icarus' voice said quietly.

"You don't know that for certain!" Jennifer snapped.

"Neither do you yet seem to understand that sometimes it's better not to know," Icarus' echoing voice said.

Just then, there was a knock on the door that they both recognized at once. Jennifer, who suddenly realized she had gotten on her feet at some point during the argument, quickly sat back down to her cold tea, while Icarus rematerialized in his spot as the door seemed to swing open by itself. Severus sighed and leaned against the doorway, folding his arms and looking between them disapprovingly.

"I understand that you might want to hear your classes when they are assembling, Icarus, but you may consider putting a one way muffling spell on this door. I heard you two bellowing at each other from the moment I got up the stairs," Severus said disapprovingly.

"Just another typical tea for us, I suppose," Jennifer said, obviously still irritated.

"And just what were the two of you arguing about this time?" Severus asked.

"Just the same thing we've been arguing about for over twenty-five years, Severus," Icarus said glumly. Severus rolled his eyes.

"I don't know why you bother having tea with the man when you know it won't end pleasantly," Severus said, sighing with exasperation at his wife.

"Yes, I wonder why she bothers too," Icarus agreed.

"Was there something that you wanted, Severus?" Jennifer asked, scowling at the ghost.

"As a matter of fact, I was looking for you," Severus said. "I was wondering if you would come take a look at the sword, for I'm rather curious about one of the enchantments on it and need another opinion."

"Oh, absolutely," Jennifer said, getting up. "Lunch tomorrow, Ick?"

"Of course, delighted," Ick answered politely. Severus rolled his eyes once more and shook his head at the two of them, following when Jennifer stepped out of the room.

"You may as well be scheduling sparring matches," Severus said, shaking his head.

"Don't be silly, Severus, one can't spar with a ghost… not if one wants to win," Jennifer joked.

"And yet you do. Constantly. And more often lately than you used to," Severus said.

"Yes, I know, Severus, but I was really hoping he'd give some clues as to what is going on right now or if he had some ideas on what Viviane might have done to Merlin," Jennifer said. "He didn't, and he said he had no memory of that sword ever being pulled, which makes me wonder if Viviane had anything to do with Merlin losing his memory at all, since Icarus admitted to knowing about that."

"I don't believe she had anything to do with that either," Severus said with a nod. "Although it does mean that he must have gone into that situation at an extreme disadvantage."

"Poor Merlin," Jennifer sighed. "And poor Ambrose and Ashley, they must be worried sick."

"I don't suppose you have any idea on where he might be?" Severus asked. Jennifer stared at him with surprise, gazing at him over her spectacles curiously.

"Me? You think I know where he might be?" she said, baffled.

"For some odd reason, Viviane thought you might," Severus explained.

"That is odd," Jennifer agreed with a frown.

"You're quite certain you don't have even the slightest inclination?" he asked, despite the fact she was obviously puzzled.

"Of course not, Severus. If I knew don't you think I would have gone after hi… tell you? I would have told you," Jennifer belatedly corrected, chuckling nervously when he gave her a sideways glance.

"Well, which is it, Jennifer? Would you have gone after him, or would you have told me?" Severus asked knowingly.

"I probably would have gone after him," Jennifer admitted sheepishly. "Unless I didn't think I could handle it on my own, and then I would have told you." Severus nodded thoughtfully, then gazed at her.

"Very well, I can accept that as a reasonable answer," Severus said calmly.

"What?" Jennifer said with surprise, gazing at his expression for a moment before chuckling. "All right, who are you and what did you do to my husband?" she teased.

"Is that answer so hard to believe, considering I was looking at you straight on? Surely your Truth Seeking would have told you I meant it… and that I really am your husband," he added for good measure.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I haven't really been relying on my Truth Seeking abilities lately. I'm not sure I trust them so much anymore," Jennifer admitted.

"Perhaps that's not such a bad thing," Severus said quietly, gazing at her steadily. "And anyway, what else would you have expected me to say?"

"That's easy," Jennifer said with a chuckle. "'Jennifer, if you take off without telling me one more time, I'm going to hunt you down and drag you back, kicking and screaming, and lock you in the dungeon using a door that even Lucky and Carnegie combined couldn't break you out of!'" she said in a mockingly Severus voice.

"That does sound rather entertaining, I'll admit," Severus decided.

"You would think so," Jennifer said, shaking her head.

"And why is it that you are so convinced that would be my answer?" he asked.

"Because you're an overprotective old fool," Jennifer said teasingly.

"Yes, that," Severus agreed. "As well as the thought of losing you makes me so sick to think of that even in a passing fear I cannot help but overreact."

"Why, Severus!" Jennifer said in complete surprise. "What has gotten into you? Perhaps its time you make an appointment with Sagittari."

"Oh really, perhaps you should as well," Severus advised expressionlessly. "I can't remember the last time I saw quite that color in your cheeks. Years, in fact…"

"I think I'd better check your potions when we're done downstairs. Maybe something went bad," Jennifer said, shaking her head at him.

"Very well, if you insist," Severus said readily. Jennifer frowned at him and attempted to study him, but he was one step ahead of her on the stairs.

"Are you patronizing me?" Jennifer asked accusingly.

"No, but why are you so suspicious?" Severus asked.

"I'm not the one acting suspicious, Severus," Jennifer said.

"You truly don't think you've been acting suspicious lately?" Severus asked, and although it was calm, she didn't miss the hint of a challenge in his tone. Jennifer hesitated.

"In what way, Severus?" Jennifer asked guardedly, a bit surprised when he smirked.

"Let's try this; how about you ignore my suspicious behavior, and I'll ignore yours?" he suggested. Jennifer gazed at him uncertainly for a moment before taking his offered arm.

"I suppose it's worth a try," Jennifer said carefully. "But you're not making it easy."

"Nothing worthwhile ever is, is it?" Severus said with an unconcerned shrug and suddenly found his wife leaning lovingly against the arm all the way to the library.


	32. Objective Art

_A/N Second Chapter in two days; expect quicker updates. Thanks for reading, hope you like the chapter._

Chapter Thirty-Two

Objective Art

"So what did they find out?" Alex asked, grabbing a trivet and bringing the coffee pot over to the table where Harry and Ben were sitting.

"Well, Jennifer was able confirm Severus' theory that the duty enchantment on the sword was put on quite a bit later than on the day that the blade was made," Harry said.

"Duty enchantment?" Ben asked.

"It's rather like the quest curse Mum had to deal with last year with the ring," Alex explained. "Only there are no bad side effects if you don't do anything, and it's less specific as to what you need to do. Theoretically, you can actually pick your own quest or a just cause to fulfill to get rid of it."

"Then why put it on there at all if it's so general?" Ben asked.

"Actually, it's more versatile this way, so it can fit in to whatever is going on in the time period. For example, if the sword's main objective was to kill Viking invaders, Rel would be really screwed," Harry chuckled.

"So what does it mean then if it this duty enchantment was put on later as opposed to when it was first forged?" Ben asked.

"That's where it gets interesting, because it means that the enchantment was there to counter the first one, which compels the owner to cast it into the lake," Harry explained. "When this sword was forged, Britain was filled with small tribes and kingdoms… warlords, really, constantly skirmishing with each other to improve their territory and position. According to what Merlin wrote in his Might vs. Right book, Caledfwlch… or Excalibur as it's called today… was made specifically so that one of the kingdoms would have something that gave them enough of an edge that they could conquer all their neighbors and hopefully unite the country to create peace… a war to end all wars, so to speak, over fifteen hundred years before the term was even coined. But the Fae that helped make the sword was concerned about their Otherworld technology in the hands of the humans at the time, whom they thought of as barbarians… yes, well, they probably had a point," Harry admitted. "But anyhow, that is why they put this failsafe upon the sword, which is type of compel curse that makes the owner throw it into a lake… a lake that was filled with Otherworld magic in the way of the crystals that had bled through the cracks of a natural portal over thousands of years. They then chose the reigning Priestess of Danaan, born of two Fae but born on this side of the portal, who would be given the power to decide when the sword was needed and when it could be taken away. Over the generations, Viviane… according to Merlin's book again… 'got it into her head' that such a power over the sword meant that she had the power to determine the fate of the entire nation, since, especially in ancient times, just having that sword on a kingdom's side would practically write a battle's outcome from the start. It's from this that the whole concept of being not only the sword's guardian but also the guardian of fate itself came about. Especially after she had stolen a bunch of spells and prophecies from Merlin and learned how to prophesize herself… again, that's Merlin's words, so I can't say that's an altogether unbiased view of what happened."

"So the second enchantment was put on there to control Viviane somehow?" Alex asked.

"It's not written anywhere that Severus has found yet, but that is what he believes, yes," Harry nodded. "The compelling curse on the sword made it so that the Fae could pretty much call the sword back any time they liked, giving them full control of how it was used. Merlin then added the second enchantment to the sword so that when the sword was given out for a purpose, it couldn't be retrieved by the Fae until that purpose was completed or the owner died, such as in the case of Arthur. Because of the way the enchantments are tied together, it also makes it so that Viviane can't interfere with the owner in a direct manner, but she can indirectly… just as she did in Arthur's case, mainly by forcing Merlin out of the picture."

"And now she has done it again!" Alex said with exasperation, Harry nodding grimly. "Only it didn't affect Ambrose at all, but got my brother instead!"

"Yes, that is how Severus was able to piece this together, actually," Harry said. "Just like owners of cursed items often do, Merlin put a catch in his enchantment to make sure they he wasn't affected by the sword's enchantments and could handle it as he pleased. To him, it's just a normal sword and nothing else, and apparently that extended to Ambrose. But direct male line or not, Aurelius is too far removed for that to matter, and the sword seems to have taken to him from the start. In fact, he rather dithers over it."

"I'd think anyone would. That's a rather tall order for anyone to have to bear," Ben said, Harry nodding to him.

"Better him than me," Harry agreed. Alex glared at him darkly. "Well, I do have one sword to protect already, so I certainly don't need two," he added quickly, Alex frowning but turning her gaze. "Anyhow, that's what's been going on up to this point. Viviane suggested that he look for the scabbard as his task, although Severus isn't sure if following her advice at this point is a good idea, especially under the circumstances. It may do nothing but get Rel even deeper."

"But what would she have against Rel?" Alex said. "Surely tanking him isn't what she's after!"

"I agree," Harry nodded. "And I don't think your father thinks that is what she's after either, which is another good reason for everyone to be cautious."

Lucky stood at the door and stared blankly at the three huddled over the dinning room table with cold cups of coffee in hand and a basket of untouched muffins.

"'Ey," Lucky said, and all three of them sat back and greeted her at she got herself a cup of coffee. "'Ey, Harry. What you doin' here so early? Someone get arrested we know?" Lucky asked.

"Actually, I'm here to get you to the train this morning," Harry explained, passing her a muffin. "Your father's worried about the Muggle paparazzi stalking King's Cross to try and get a picture of you."

"Then why didn't he just let me go to the school early then?" Lucky scowled. Alex chuckled.

"They didn't let us go back to school early either," Alex grinned. "Except for when we lost the house or during life and death emergencies. I guess being stalked by the press doesn't count as one."

"Do I hafta wear a disguise spell?" Lucky sighed.

"Disguise spells don't always work well when you have people who are actively searching for you," Harry explained. "I'm just going to put you in an invisibility cloak. But you need to stay close, because we can't risk the chance of anyone bumping into you."

"Great," Lucky said with a scowl. "And if I do bump into Chance, I am gonna give him a piece of my mind for doin' this to me."

"Dale didn't throw that punch, Lucky, you did," Ben said with a grin, getting up. "You have only yourself to blame for this one."

"Come on, Lucky, you'd better start getting your stuff downstairs," Harry suggested, and reluctantly Lucky got ready to go.

But despite her initial reaction, Lucky couldn't help but be a bit curious when they paused in the parking lot so that Harry could get a cloak out of the car boot, for although Lucky had heard one or two stories over the years, she hadn't ever seen an invisibility cloak, let alone used one.

"Once we get the trolley and get your trunk and Houdini's cage settled, I want you to hop on. It'll be a lot harder for you to bump into people if you're riding," Harry advised, watching as she put on the cloak and double-checking to make sure nothing was showing. "Until then, grab hold of my jacket and say as close as possible. Um… here, put Houdini's cage under your coat too, I don't think I can manage both."

"Okay," Lucky said, awkwardly pulling the cage in and pausing as Harry checked her over again.

"All right, let's go. Just a short walk," Harry promised.

It was quite awkward following along, but fortunately they had gotten settled in very little time without too many folks getting dangerously close to them. The trickiest part came when they had to get situated on the cart, and Lucky was certain for a moment there that someone had noticed when the cage appeared out of nowhere. Fortunately, it seemed that everyone was much too concerned about their own affairs than watching them, but as Lucky hopped on the cart and Harry started for the platform, she began to notice a large group of people looking a lot more alert carrying cameras of all sizes from professional to small digital cameras and even a cell phone or two, as well as a rather large group of teenagers hanging about, peering around every approaching cart in hopes of seeing someone famous.

"Excuse me," Harry said impatiently and the crowd reluctantly moved as he attempted to get through.

"Have you seen anyone yet?" asked a girl on one side.

"Maybe we do have the wrong date," said another.

"Nonsense," said the first. "My father's friend's cousin knows the janitor in the recording studio, and he said he was going back today."

"Oh, now there's authority!" one of the other girls smirked.

"Well, then what are the reporters doing here?" she challenged them.

"I heard the rest of the band were seen going through Heathrow last night, that's why the reporters are here," the first girl said. "Look, there are some kids with some trunks over there, let's see where they're going."

Harry paused with a sigh as several of the girls hanging around cut in front of the cart, and Lucky squinted as she saw they were heading over to where Mr. Coventry was reluctantly making his way through the crowd with a rather primly dressed but very comely woman who was helping him manage Beth and the twins as they walked towards the platforms.

"Oh no," Lucky mumbled, and immediately got hushed.

"Lucky, don't talk," Harry hissed softly. The weight of the cart suddenly became lighter and he stopped short. "Lucky?" he whispered, several of the passersby giving him odd looks. "Lucky!" Harry shouted in frustration.

"To get a cart in this mess? I'd say so," said a woman carrying several bags that puttered past him, giving him a look that indicated just what she thought of him not offering it up to her.

"This is just great," Harry muttered to himself. Well, at least he could try and get her things to the train, he reasoned. Hopefully the girl had enough sense to follow.

"Hullo there! Are you off to school today?" one of the girls asked the Coventry twins as they passed nearby.

"What, are you stupid?" Don asked.

"Don't talk to strangers, Donald. Come along," said Mr. Coventry and kept on walking, looking quite uneasy with the crowds.

"We were just wondering if you went to the same school as Dale Chance, that's all," she explained.

"Oh, I go to school with Dale Chance," said a girl with thin golden hair behind them, carrying what looked like a very small trunk and a heavy-looking backpack that clinked with glass when she turned around. "So do they, but they won't talk to you. They're stuck up," she explained.

"Don't tell them anything, Delia," Elizabeth hissed at her.

"Oh, do come along, Miss Coventry!" her nanny said, putting an arm around her and hurrying her in the direction of her father and brothers.

"Do you really go to school with Dale Chance?" asked the girl with growing interest considering how the other family didn't seem to want to talk about it. Even one of the reporters seemed to be listening in curiously.

"Of course we go to the same school, he's a very good friend of mine. In fact… we're sort of dating, although I'm not supposed to talk about it. Publicity, you know. That girl, you see… the one that hit him? She is my best friend. She was sticking up for me on account that I wasn't there, you see, because that whole dating thing with Duffy was all a ruse. Dale was never interested in _her_; she was the one with the crush on _him._ He was interested in me," Delia said.

"What did you say that girl's name was again?" asked the reporter standing behind them.

"Um… Lola. Lola Cabana," Delia said, unaware that just a few feet away Lucky was ready to strangle her. "She's an exchange student here, from Central America. Anyway, that's all there is to that, she was simply trying to protect us from being found out."

"Pardon if I seem a bit skeptical, but I don't suppose you have any proof to any of this?" asked the reporter.

"Excuse me, excuse me, what did you say the name of your school was?" another reporter who had come up asked.

"If you don't know the name of it, you're probably not well off enough to know," Delia said, sticking her nose up in the air and shrugging off a poke she had gotten in the back.

"Well, she's got cheek," one of the girl's said to one of the others. "Just who do you think you are?"

"Who am I? Well I'm… ow! Stop that!" She scowled, elbowing the person behind her and stepping back so she could look over her shoulder. But there was no one there.

"Stop what, miss?" asked one of the reporters, but as Delia turned around so she could figure out what was going on, she felt as if she were stepping on something and heard an exclamation of surprise as Lucky got yanked to the ground trying to get out of range, th cloak caught under Delia's foot. "What! Hullo! Where did she come from?"

"She must have just ran out of the crowd…"

"It's the girl! The one who hit Dale Chance!"

Lucky looked up in surprise as the crowd came in, cussing as a wide-eyed Delia scrambled to pick up the cloak and bundle it under her arm. Delia tried her best to stay near her so they could make an escape, but the flashes from cameras and the excited crowd were making it impossible to even think of running.

Just then, Harry jumped up in front of them, although how exactly he managed to get through that crowd, Delia wasn't sure.

"All right! Thanks, but we really need to be going! Sorry! Some other time, but these girls have a train to catch," Harry said.

"Oh really? And who are you?" asked one of the reporters near the front.

Harry blinked at him, and then offered a wan smile.

"Who me? I'm… I'm uh… I'm… sorry, it's just that people don't normally ask me that question…"

Just then, there was a loud whistle from someone standing on a bench on the other side of the walkway, someone everyone recognized at once.

"Free autographs! Next fifteen minutes only, I have a train to catch after all," Dale shouted, getting an immediate reaction from the girls in the crowd. "Better hurry, last chance 'til summer, you know!"

The crowd immediately shifted, but even as they scattered, most of the reporters new better than to be distracted for more than a moment. Unfortunately for them, a moment was all Harry had needed. In the mere seconds it had taken the reporters to see what the fuss was and turn back around, Harry and the two girls were no longer anywhere to be seen. Only Dale, still standing on the bench, had seen when they had left, quickly turning his attention to the girls standing around him and trying to ignore the pained expression on his mother's face for the stunt he had just pulled.

He hadn't done more than a half a dozen signings when suddenly a pair of Dale Chance dolls was thrust up at him and with absolute horror he saw who the two boys were that were holding them up.

"Could you sign my dolly, Mr. Chance?" Don said with a dastardly grin of pure delight.

"Oh, yes, please, mine too, Mr. Chance!" Mike agreed, batting his eyes. "We are your biggest fans! Your doll was at the top of both of our Christmas lists!"

"I don't sign dolls," Dale said with a forced smile, quickly turning his attention to the next paper and trying to ignore them.

"Oh, but they're so much like you, Mr. Chance! They're so perfectly plastic, so cute and glossy, and they're missing their genitals too!"

Dale turned beat red as Myrine finally signaled the guards to step in and encourage the twins to head back to the platform. But there could be no doubt in his mind that it was going to be anything but a comfortable return back to Hogwarts.

As the train pulled in and their bags were taken care of, Dale decided to take the safer route for dinner by heading to the library with Bobby, Lindsay and Laura.

"It's a nightmare, that's what it is," Dale complained once they got into the Owl Room. "I asked my father... no…. begged him not to give in to dolls, and he went and did it anyhow, and now like it or not, there are now going to be little girls across the entire globe dragging my likeness around for months on end, only to be chucked into their toy boxes naked."

"It's not as bad as all of that," Laura sighed at him. "Don't take it so personally, Dale."

"And how else am I supposed to take it?" Dale asked.

"Besides, it's not as if they're completely naked. They do have painted on underwear," Lindsay said. Everyone stopped and stared at her.

"And just how do you know they all have painted on underwear?" Bobby asked flatly.

"Oh… uh, well, because Hope Willowby has one, of course!" Lindsay answered quickly. "Actually, I think all the girls in that house have one, come to think of it."

"I'm doomed. No really, I'm doomed this time," Dale groaned, banging his head on the table. "My Muggle life is finally invading Hogwarts. Nowhere is safe now. No matter where I go. No matter what I do from now on, there will be someone with one of those dumb dolls to torment me."

"Honestly, don't be ridiculous! Obviously not everyone is going to have one," Laura said, glancing up to see Gary, Delia, Connie, and Lucky walk in. "I bet Lucky doesn't have one," she improvised.

"One what?" Lucky asked with a tired sigh.

"A Dale Chance doll," Laura said.

"Oh, ya, I got one," Lucky shrugged. "Jackie didn't tell me voodoo doesn't work on plastic until after I bit his head off, though." Dale let out a low groan. "Anybody seen Ambrose?"

"No, not yet. He usually comes in with the other kids from Hogsmeade," Lindsay said.

"Maybe he went to dinner," Laura suggested.

"Since when? He always comes here first after we come off of a break," Lucky said, Dale lifting his head up thoughtfully. "I guess I better go look for him. I'm kinda worried about him after that wedding stupidity."

"Just what did happen at that wedding, Lucky?" Connie asked curiously. "The paper was awful vague about it, and when I Owled Ambrose, he said he didn't want to talk about it."

"Has he been talking to you, Lucky?" Dale asked.

"Not really," Lucky admitted, and Dale got up, having been immediately reminded that his troubles were nothing compared to what was really going on.

"Come on, Lucky. I have an idea where he might be," Dale said, opening the door for her as the two of them hurried out.

"Wow, she got within two feet of him and she didn't punch him in the guts or anything. Is that progress or what?" Connie joked, everyone else agreeing with chuckles, except for Lindsay, who looked slightly annoyed.

Upstairs, Ambrose was learning that the painting of Merlin was a good listener, which was probably a good thing considering everything he had on his mind to say. He listened carefully and somberly, absorbing in each detail and obviously concerned both with how Ambrose was feeling and current events in general. It helped that the students and ghosts in that painting all seemed to be slumbering, allowing Merlin to give the boy his full and undivided attention.

"Now, try not to worry about my safety, dear boy," Merlin said when it was obvious that Ambrose was quite worked up. "Despite current events, Viviane isn't an evil person… an extremely dangerous adversary, yes, but she wouldn't harm someone without a reason. I'm sure she simply has me holed up somewhere inconvenient to try and get me out of the way. It certainly wouldn't be the first time, and if history is any indication, she doesn't normally get her own hands dirty with the whole 'bodily injury' thing. I might not be accessible, but I'm quite alive and well, I assure you. And it seems to me that you truly oughtn't be worrying about the sword so much, either. It's in Aurelius' hands now, it's his to worry about."

"But it wouldn't be if it wasn't for me," Ambrose said.

"I beg your pardon, but did you ask to be kidnapped and put down in that cave?" Merlin asked. Ambrose shook his head slowly. "Caledfwlch is Viviane's responsibility, and ultimately it was her decisions that let that sword out. In fact, I think that was quite intentional."

"I… don't know how you mean?"

"Those crystal mirrors of hers can show anything, Ambrose. Truth… lies, your innermost dreams or nightmares, the past, and even the past if it had gone a different path," Merlin explained. "They can also be strong portents of the future… every future. She doesn't see just one future possibility when she looks into those crystals. She can see several at once that she then likes to pick and choose from. She saw the sword being pulled as a possibility, and she manipulated you into a position where you made that happen."

"Oh no!" Ambrose said, upset. "But that's awful!"

"Yes, yes, but not as far as she is concerned. In her opinion, she is simply doing her job by nudging fate in a particular direction."

"That doesn't make it right!" Ambrose snapped.

"No, I suppose not, from your point of view. But really, Ambrose, it is very important to look at all sides, especially in matters such as this," Merlin said gently, then paused and tried to peer over towards the door as two students came in. "Ah, good evening, Fortuna, Wilbert."

"Good evening, sir, we were looking for Ambrose," Dale explained.

"I'm very glad he has such devoted friends," Merlin said with a cordial smile.

"Fifteen of us at least, sir, although I'm certain there are more than that, as well as the Professor of course," Wilbert said.

"Ya, who is gonna have a fit if he finds us up here," Lucky said dryly.

"I really don't think he'll be surprised," Merlin reassured her. "Do you, Wart?"

"Not likely, no," Aurelius said, the other three jumping like startled cats as he strode in behind them. "Ambrose, where are all those books you checked out from the library over the holiday?"

"In my trunk. I was thinking of checking them out again, actually…"

"Oh, no you don't. I think I need them more than you right now, and I expect them all to be turned in before breakfast tomorrow," Aurelius said firmly. "That said, you'll probably need to get up early to find them all as many as you took out, so why don't the three of you turn in… and I will be checking later."

"Yes, Professor," Dale said, while Ambrose looked reluctantly towards the painting. "Are you really going to wear that to class?" he asked, glancing down at the sword strapped to his side.

"I don't have much of choice, do I?" Aurelius said irritably. "And I had better not hear another word spoken from you three about it, either, especially around other students."

"What sword?" Lucky shrugged, and Merlin chuckled softly.

"I doubt their silence is going to be enough this time, Wart. Secrets are only easy to keep when they're not quite so visual," Merlin warned. "But you're right that it's high time Ambrose and the others settled in. Ambrose, I think right now it's more important that you concentrate on your studies and the concerns of your friends, and let everyone else worry about the sword."

"Just don't ask me to stop worrying about you, because that's not going to happen," Ambrose said.

"Thank you. I'm sure I'm all right somewhere," Merlin reassured him. "Off you go. If I'm not mistaken, Professor Aurelius wanted to speak with me as well."

"Mr. Chance, escort these other two back to make certain they get in. If they don't, I'll hold you personally responsible," Aurelius snapped.

"Yes, Professor," Dale said, ignoring the smirk on Lucky's face when she debated ditching him just to get him in trouble. "Let's take Lucky back first."

"Fine by me!" Ambrose said enthusiastically as the three of them left the room.

"You know, sir, when you picked up that old jibe by calling me Wart when I was a child, I was flattered. All the sudden it's beginning to bug me again," Aurelius admitted. Merlin chuckled.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about, Aurelius. Despite what people start to imagine if this thing goes on for too long, you are most definitely _not_ the second coming of Arthur. Arthur is dead and will not come back. I only pray that he does not suffer in his afterlife, for I am a firm believer in that we should be judged by our accomplishments rather than our mistakes," Merlin said somberly.

"Easier said than done, considering that we judge ourselves by our mistakes," Aurelius said dryly.

"Yes, a good point," Merlin agreed. "Although I would argue that judging ourselves by our mistakes is probably a good thing, because it makes us want to correct them, or at least rise above them. You and your father are very good examples of that, and one of the many reasons I think that others should have a gentler response. You beat yourselves up enough as it is without everyone else offering a fist in," he said with amusement. "And truly, if you think about it, you really are judged more by your accomplishments these days, both of you."

"Same with Arthur," Aurelius said with a nod.

"Yes, well, that took a lot of hard work on my part, the old P.R. game," Merlin admitted under his breath, getting a smirk from Aurelius. "Let that be a lesson to you, Wart. You are better off making your mistakes early in life. If you make them at the end of your life, God help you, for you are not around to defend yourself."

"Thanks, I'll try not to screw up any more then," Aurelius said sarcastically, getting a chuckle from Merlin in response. "Now how about giving me a hint on how to get rid of this thing? Viviane thinks I ought to try to find the scabbard."

"The scabbard?" Merlin mused. "Well, I don't see how that scabbard will do you much good considering you already have the Aegis, unless you have a fear of getting backstabbed."

"It's happened before," Aurelius said dryly.

"Oh, well in that case, perhaps it would be a good task. Although I would warn you that this isn't something you're likely to find in a book, especially as old as these events are. Or, in simpler terms, never ever take anything that's written in a book as fact," Merlin said.

"What are they, then?" Aurelius asked.

"Opinions," Merlin said evenly. "The opinion of the author or authors who wrote it, and also the opinions of many who wrote before them. Many books rely heavily on books already written, and the authors are simply trying to compile older material, or they are rewriting it to try and make better sense of it. And if that is the case, the original work must have had some real problems if someone had to go and try and rewrite it. But the point is, just because it's written down somewhere doesn't mean it's right. Don't depend on books as your only source of information."

"That sounds rather like something old Witolf once told us about forming our own opinions," Aurelius snorted.

"Glen Witolf was a very wise man," Merlin agreed. "Seek out and make your own conclusions was his advice, and I believe, Wart, if you want to get things put right again and get fate back on the right path, you are going to have to follow that advice. Don't you think so, Severus? My word, but I am getting a lot of visitors tonight," he said with amusement.

"You know perfectly well that I don't believe in fate, nor do I believe in taking advice from paintings, and neither should you, Aurelius," Severus said.

"You see, that means he agrees with me," Merlin said amusedly. "Severus has his own opinion about practically everything."

"And my opinion is that we are better off finding the real Merlin instead of seeking advice from Ghost Paint on canvas," Severus said curtly.

"Yes, I quite agree with that as well," Merlin said with a nod. "Do please find me soon. I rather think that boy needs his father from the sound of it."

"Hasn't he always?" Severus asked crisply, before finally turning back out of the room, Aurelius giving the painting a nod before following behind.

The painting of Merlin stood there silently for a moment, lost in thought. Finally, he stepped out of the frame and down to the dungeon, cautiously peeking in to make certain that the Severus portrait was gone before slipping into his frame. Just below him, Jennifer was pacing the length of her office with the Obol in hand.

It had actually started the night before, when she was finally able to find time away from Severus by prepping some last minute solutions for the class demonstrations she had planned. She had no more gotten them to the point where they needed to simmer that she unlocked the case around her neck and took out the Obol, pausing only to shut all the doors before finally flipping it.

"Will we be able to find Merlin?" she had asked, tossing it up in the air. It didn't spin in the air for very long before it came down Oracle side up. "Yes," she said, but then frowned when the vision didn't come. Was the magic running out, she wondered? Was the magic even working at all, or was it just an ordinary coin toss when that happened? "Can we rescue him without Viviane finding out about it?" she asked, and once again, the coin stayed in the air only momentarily before coming down Charon side up. "No," she said, picking the coin up and rubbing it thoughtfully. Just to be safe, she asked the coin that same question a second time, then a third and a fourth, but each time, the coin showed Charon. Jennifer let out a sigh. Well, at least it seemed consistent, she mused, but why wasn't it showing anything? It was then that she had put it away for the evening, deciding to think about it.

In fact, she thought of little else the next day, going about her last minute preparations an a rather automated fashion, and zoning out periodically through both breakfast and lunch, although Severus seemed disinclined to comment on it except for the occasional reminder that her tea was getting cold. She had pondered that as she wandered down the stairs with only a 'don't stay up too late, you have classes tomorrow,' in response, wondering what had gotten into him lately. But soon her thoughts were back on the problem at hand, fingering the Obol even as she slipped back into her office, wondering how she could possibly get a more visual response.

"Perhaps it has something to do with Viviane," she murmured out loud, her pace slowing. "It seems like every time I ask something concerning her, it doesn't work properly." She stopped and went to her desk, scratching out some ideas on a piece of paper. "Will Ambrose see his father again?" she finally asked, flipping the Obol, and then sighed with relief as not only because of the Oracle showing but that there was a vision forming with it.

Eagerly she watched as a large crowd of people faded into view, and although she recognized many of the people standing there, she didn't recognize the place, despite the fact that a curious tingle went through her… as if it all seemed hauntingly familiar. Everyone seemed to be dressed in their finest robes, including Severus, who was standing nearby. And although he didn't look altogether different, there were faint creases around his eyes and the natural lines in his face seemed a bit deeper. He was in relatively good spirits, and from what little she glimpsed from his expression, even a little flirtatious. It was from that brief glance that she gathered it was a wedding; he often became unusually sentimental at weddings, especially when the wedding involved people he had special interest in… it was then that a tall, lanky man with hair as black as Severus' and tied back in a tail in much the same way hurried over to them to offer his hand to Severus. It was there that the similarities stopped; for the build was scarecrow thin and yet he was barely average in height, his nose was pointed and even slightly upturned, and had that not been enough to give his identity away, Jennifer would have recognized those sharp blue eyes anywhere.

"Why, it's Ambrose!" Jennifer said in complete surprise. "Good grief, this is simply years from now! Great stars, he looks so much like his father, except the hair…" she stammered then fell silent as her view changed as the vision seemed to turn to look another direction. Severus turned as well, looking at Merlin in Toby the Tinker guise, standing by himself on the lawn as if he had just arrived. Happily, Ambrose ran over and received a warm hug for the effort and just as quickly ran off again. Toby was apparently laughing in response as he began to walk over to where Severus was standing. Just as the vision began to fade, a Gryffindor who looked as if he was in his sixth or seventh year had run between them with dark hair and an unmistakable Snape nose, apparently interrupting them to hit Severus up for some coins. "Why! Who in the world is that?" Jennifer said in surprise as it faded completely. "Surely not Janus or Rus! Why, that must be years and years from now!" Jennifer frowned worriedly.

"Surely that wasn't the first time he'd seen his father back… no, it couldn't have been! Ambrose wasn't all that surprised to see him at the wedding, and neither did we seem at all surprised he was there. But why did it show me a vision so very far into the future?" Then she paused. "Goodness, I wish I could have taken a moment to look in a mirror to see what I look like then!"

For an instant she thought she heard a muffled chuckle, but when she turned around she didn't see anyone there. She squinted at the picture frame, but it was still empty, and cautiously got a snoop stone out of her desk drawer, but it didn't seem to be reacting to anything. She glanced over at Dodger, unperturbed where he perched on his stand, and then at Ratfly, who was snoozing as usual. Perhaps she just imagined it, she decided, glancing at the coin again.

"Very well, no more Merlin questions either… not direct ones, at any rate," Jennifer decided, nodding to herself. "Let's try this then. Will Aurelius find Excalibur's missing scabbard?" she asked, flipping the Obol again.

As it had it the past, the coin spun in the air as it often had before it reached its decision. Within seconds, Jennifer began to realize that the coin had never been in the air for so long before. It was almost of if it were stuck, spinning in air as if caught in its own inertia, showing no symbol of the Oracle or Charon or any vision at all, nor did it seem much interested in the laws of gravity either. "What on earth is going on?" Jennifer said out loud. "Is this silly thing broken after all?"

"Fascinating, really," said a voice behind her, and Jennifer grabbed the Obol right out of the air in sheer terror as she whirled around to see where the voice had come from. It was only then that the painting of Merlin stepped fully into the frame, and Jennifer's shoulders relaxed and she exhaled fully. "Seeing the coin in flux like that, I mean. I wonder if that ever happened in my own memories from time to time, not that I am likely to remember it afterwards. I wonder if in some ways that is what is happening now to my true self."

"I have no clue what you mean," Jennifer admitted.

"What I mean is that, as I watch you experimenting with the Obol in some attempt to decide your next move, I wonder if my seeing all times at once has been one of my greatest disadvantages," Merlin said. "It is rather hard making a decision about what to do next when you know what's coming already… especially if that decision is attempting to act against it."

"So I've learned on my own, thank you," Jennifer said, Merlin smiling at her knowingly. "Although now I'm starting to think I've broken it, overusing it as I have been."

"Well, I doubt that you've broken it, although I also have no doubts whatsoever that you probably are overusing it," he said, Jennifer grimacing at that. "Come sit down a moment, Jennifer. Let's have a chat so that perhaps I can somehow help you… help me."

"All right," Jennifer said with resignation, sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace.

"Thank you," Merlin said with a nod. "Now, you do, I hope, understand the concept of statistical divination upon which the Obol is based on, do you not?"

"No I don't, and please don't tell me this is going to be a lecture on practicing what I teach," Jennifer said. "I know the dangers of using an item when I don't understand how it works."

"Oh, goodness me, heavens no. There is no point in me mentioning something you obviously already know," the painting said with amusement. "Besides, if I ever practiced what I preached, or teach whichever the case might be, I probably wouldn't ever get anything done. At any rate, statistical divination is based on the concept that there is no such thing as a true random. Even though it may seem random to living beings, this sort of divination relies on the fact that there are greater forces at work, a higher power moving things in a particular direction so that even the toss of dice or a coin or yarrow is affected."

"Oh, so you mean like I Ching," Jennifer said.

"That is one example, yes," the painting agreed. "Well, this Obol works on the exact same principle, only the creator, an Athenian who was a brilliant mathematician and mage in his own right, had this concept down to its finest point, so that with just one throw, the future with the highest possible probability of occurring would play out before one's eyes."

"Highest probability? But not certain?" Jennifer said thoughtfully, and the painting sighed.

"Have you or have you not changed some of the events you've seen in that coin, Jennifer?" Merlin asked critically.

"Oh, well, yes, but it was never easy," Jennifer said.

"Going against the odds never is," Merlin said with a smile. "It really is the same as going against fate, you know."

"On some occasions I found myself choose a slightly easier path rather than trying to stop it right out, knowing that I probably couldn't keep it from happening completely," Jennifer admitted. "In those cases I simply did what I could to soften the blow. At least, I'd like to think I made a difference."

"Which is the entire point of using the tool in the first place, I'd say, but it is just a tool. It shouldn't make your decisions for you," Merlin said.

"I know that already, and it hasn't been," Jennifer said with a sigh.

"Good, that's very wise of you," the painting said with a nod. "That being the case, why do you suppose the Obol reacted the way that it did when you asked it about the scabbard?"

"I suppose if what it's doing is calculating the best possibility as you've said, then it must mean that there is no best possibility," Jennifer said thoughtfully. "It must be literally on the line, perhaps even fifty-fifty. In other words, it's very much in the air at the moment."

"A very good pun," Merlin chuckled. "And very much dead on, I'd say. As for the Viviane business, I'm not so sure it is she that is causing the lack of visions in the Obol any more than she is capable of taking my true self's memory. She is a powerful Fae in her own right, and in her own areas, and she is extremely old in your terms, but she is not all powerful or all knowing and definitely not infallible… and thank goodness," he added for good measure, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Well if it isn't her causing it, then what is it?" Jennifer asked, but Merlin simply smiled at her. She got up and paced again for a moment, looking at the coin. "What do all the ones that showed no vision have in common?" she asked herself. "I asked where Merlin was, and if Viviane would find out if he were rescued… but before that… before the wedding, I asked if Viviane would go to the wedding, and if Ambrose would miss it. Neither of those had pictures either! Really, it does all seem to revolve around her, Merlin," she said, but when she turned back to the frame, he was no longer there. Jennifer rolled her eyes. "I see. Apparently even paintings of Merlin have some sort of policy as to how much they'll interfere," Jennifer said with exasperation, looking towards Dodger who hooted curiously, wondering what she was going on about this time.

Jennifer paused. She gazed at the bird for a very long time before she suddenly brightened.

"Wait a minute! Severus said something about Halcyon being with Ambrose when Aurelius found him! Halcyon must have been with Merlin when it happened!" Jennifer said excitedly, looking back at the coin. "Does Halcyon know where Merlin is?" she asked, flipping the coin. But even though once again there was no picture, the Obol once again landed on the Oracle. "Can Halcyon show me where Merlin is without Viviane finding out?" she asked again, and waited impatiently for the coin to come clanging down with another Oracle showing. "Brilliant," Jennifer said turning back to her desk to get a piece of paper.

"Dodger? Go to Ashley's house and find Halcyon and have him come back here," Jennifer said, scribbling out a note as the owl flew off. She then paused to grab her cloak off the chair and flipped it over, glancing at the phials that were empty and quickly refilling them. Glancing at the clock, Jennifer then rolled up the note and gently woke the slumbering bat. "Take this to Severus, Ratfly. If I don't let him know I'm going to be out of the castle, I'll surely be in for it. A last minute errand is as good as an excuse as any, and really, it isn't that all that far from the truth, is it?"

Ratfly yawned at her, but apparently had no objections to taking the note, for he flew off with it. Pulling on her cloak and gloves, she watched the window all the while she got ready, more than a bit nervous that Severus would come down to see what she was up to before she had a chance to leave. But finally, Dodger and Halcyon both landed on the window. Digging out her practically unused broom out of the closet, Jennifer slipped out the door to the Perch.


	33. Ironies of Fate

Chapter Thirty-Three

Ironies of Fate

One thing and one thing alone was certain; there was nothing better than a nice long nap on a cold wintry day.

And it was so easy to dose off from both weather and boredom, both in the cold nights when the frigid air lulled the tree to sleep and the in the bright days where the sun warmed his bark…skin… no, wait a minute. His dreams were not really dreams at all… it was time spent in Anti-Time… between worlds and between time periods, within a space that was a minute as it was infinite. Merlin paced as well as he could in his position… he was often quite furious in his dreams. But during the brief moments he was awake, time seemed to resume itself, as he felt the breeze hurrying past his branches as if it had much more important things to do than to stick around.

In the dead of the night, when he was more asleep than not, he suddenly sensed something curious touching him, soft and gentle and tingling that made him wake up more fully in a panic very much worried that a deer had come to gnaw on his bark. He focused in on the intruder (never once wondering how a tree could focus in on anyone, so lost in his dream state was he) and was quite pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a deer at all.

_Ah! Did I make it to heaven after all? I must have, and God has sent me fruit ready for the picking! When is it that you flower, my love, for I would like to be there when it happens,_ said a soft voice in the wind. Jennifer let out an exasperated sigh.

"You're right, Halcyon, somehow this is Merlin," Jennifer whispered.

_What a lovely tone in your voice, and such lovely hair and cheeks… have you ever climbed a tree?_

"Honestly, Merlin, this isn't the time for your flirting," Jennifer hissed at him.

_Why not? I'm not going anywhere, are you? Oh, I have an idea! Let's trade. I'll show you my limbs if you show me yours._

"Is there any way of getting you out of this mess without Viviane knowing that you've been rescued?" Jennifer asked.

_No way that I know of, no. I beg your pardon, but have we met before?_

"Many times. I'm Jennifer…"

_Jennifer! I have always loved that name. You should visit me in the spring, perhaps have tea with me, and let me admire you for a thousand years or so…_

"Oh no, not that line again," Jennifer moaned.

_Oh, I used that one before? Did it work? Because if it did, could you please remind me in the utmost detail?_

"First off, Merlin, I'm quite happily married to your apprentice, and second off, that is hardly why I came. I came to see if there is any way of getting you out of here," Jennifer admitted quietly, peering nervously past the cliff she was on towards the lake, half convinced that Viviane would show up at any second.

_There are not any easy ways to get me out, really. Care to sit down? I have a nice root you can come sit on if you like._

"What makes you so certain?" Jennifer persisted.

_Oh, because I agreed to it myself, of course… my freedom for the boy's freedom, with assurances that he would not be harmed or interfered with. Tell me, do you like maple syrup?_

"You're an oak tree," Jennifer said flatly.

_Oh, I'll be anything you want me to be, Jennifer._

"Really, Merlin, do be serious, I am trying to help you. Isn't there any way at all I can help you out?"

_I doubt it. You see, unless she releases me out of her own good will…which I don't see happening… the only other ways out are if she breaks our agreement and harms or interferes with Ambrose… which I don't __**want**__ to happen… or if I work my way out the other side._

"Out the other side?" Jennifer asked.

_Tree sentience and human sentience are not the same thing, as you can imagine, and a tree's physical form isn't capable of completely holding our psyche, or soul, if you will. Instead, it's attached as if by a string and floating in a sort of place between places where even time itself has no bearing. The last time I got out of a similar mess, I found a way out from there, but it did take time…well your time, obviously. It doesn't help that I am so tired, for all that was matter is a part of this tree now, and all it wants to do is sleep._

"So you can't possibly work your own way out at least until spring," Jennifer concluded with a sigh.

_I suppose I could try during waking moments. Nothing is impossible, after all. Perhaps if I were more inspired. You did agree to meet with me if I got out of here?_

"I don't think Severus would take kindly to that, nor would Ashley, come to think of it," Jennifer said sternly. "I will try to come up with some way to get you out, Merlin, but I do have my hands full, considering Viviane let your son drag Excalibur out of the cave and now my son is stuck with wielding it."

_Oh yes, a mess that. That sword shouldn't be out, you know. It has a way of choosing its own fate, and warping the fates of those around it, so to speak._

"Yes, I've already figured that part out," Jennifer said dryly. "Viviane suggested he go after the scabbard, but we're not sure following her advice is such a good idea."

_Hum, well, there are worse things. Arthur tied his to his life long goal of establishing right over wrong, but in that case, of course, he wanted Caledflwch to stay with him. Your son, on the other hand, would be best off if he got rid of it as soon as possible. A quest, then, for something obtainable is the best solution, but the question is, is that scabbard obtainable at all? _

"I haven't the foggiest idea. The books on the subject are vague, fantastic, or contradictory, and it's difficult to sort out the truth from the fiction in this case," Jennifer said.

_Yes, it probably would be. But I do know that Viviane has long wanted that scabbard back in her possession, so I'm quite sure she believes it exists at any rate. In fact, I believe that this may actually be a genuine offer on her part. I seriously doubt she wants that sword out long term any more than you do; she only wants it out long enough to stir up some trouble._

"It's already starting to. You should see how it's got the centaurs stirred up," Jennifer said dryly.

_Oh, I'm sure it'll get worse before you get that sword back into the lake. Your son needs to start that quest as soon as possible._

"But how, Merlin? People don't quest anymore, not like that at any rate. We're a research society, and not much for going out and stubbing our toes when we don't know what we're doing," Jennifer said with a shake of the head.

_I'd say in this particular case what you need is a questing party. It isn't as if it's a quest for self-cleansing or sacrifice or anything like that which has to be done alone. Besides, I don't think you'll get far without an heir of Arthur along, unless your son is one?_

"No, he isn't," Jennifer said. "He's one of your direct line, but I'm sure it'll be easy for him to get one of his heirs to go with him. There is no lack of Weasleys around."

_That is a good a starting place, although I do believe he'll need more than one companion in this case. Tell me, you don't happen to know whom the current black knight and white knight of the land is?_

"The what?" Jennifer said blankly, staring at the tree in disbelief. "Oh no, don't tell me you set up some sort of knighthood as well? This is really getting out of hand!"

_This one wasn't my doing. The Sentinels alone are mine, Jennifer, which I established to protect the balance and preserve the human right to free will. The Knights…or land guardians, if you prefer… are instruments of Fate, just as Viviane is. It is a preordained station; one forced upon them rather than something they have chosen for themselves. Each generation, two such individuals are born within every land where wild magic still has a large presence; their gifts nurtured by the lands that have chosen them to protect them. As you can see from the area around you, there are definite pockets of wild magic in Britain, and I am quite certain therefore such positions still exist here. Being that these natural-born guardians are driven by Wild magic, I wouldn't be surprised if they both weren't in your society, and if so, honestly, they should stick out like a sore thumb, so to speak._

"I know who the black knight is!" Jennifer said with surprise, but then paused. "Well, at least, who it used to be. It was Ron Weasley, I'm certain of that."

_Ah, a Weasley, not at all surprising, then, considering most black knights seem to come from that line. But you say it as if you believe it's passed on to someone else?_

"Yes I think it has, although I'm really not sure which one! I suppose you wouldn't remember enough to point me in the right direction," Jennifer sighed. "It's either his daughter Joanie or his niece Jamie. Both have qualities that would fit my idea of a black knight, and despite the fact the Joanie is a reporter and Jamie is an Auror, the two of them are very much alike even now that they are older. I'm sure it's one or the other, though."

_Do you know who the other guardian might be?_

"Harry was the white knight of his generation, there can be no doubt of that, and during the same time that Ron was. Despite his current profession and his continuing desire to stomp out anyone who even remotely reminds him of Voldemort, I'd say it's been passed on too," Jennifer said, folding her arms with a sigh. "You know, I suppose it could be just me imagining it, but what would you call someone who rode a Unicorn stallion, carried a shield, and wants nothing more than justice to be served regardless of who they are or where they come from?"

_I would say I'd call that a likely candidate._

Jennifer chuckled softly, shaking her head.

"Another point awarded to the centaurs, I suppose. They've been trying to tell us something was going on with Aurelius for years now," Jennifer admitted. "The white knight is carrying the sword, Merlin."

_Ah. In that case, might I suggest asking both the girls you mentioned to accompany him on his quest? Might help to balance him out if they are alike as you say. And if you can find someone with a true instinct for questing, it might be helpful as well…someone with Pellinor blood, perhaps._

"Well, I don't know anyone with Pellinor blood but I do someone with a questing instinct. Still, I have no idea at all how I'm going to bring any of this up," Jennifer sighed. "Merlin, my husband and I have raised our children to believe in free will, teaching them that their decisions have consequences, and to treat anything having to do with fate or predestiny with pure skepticism. But because of what's going on right now, I'm going to have to tell my son that he's going to have to acknowledge his fate if we're every going to set things on the right path again for everyone."

_That does sound ironic, _the winds whispered. _True, but ironic. There has always been a very shaky balance between free will and fate, Jennifer, but a necessary one. They are more compatible than one might think._

"Yes, I do truly understand that," Jennifer said, gazing down at the Dragonheart Diamond. It was mostly blue in tone but with thin, crack-like strands of grey around the edges, revealing that Severus was feeling stressed about something. "Thank you, Merlin. I'll see what I can do… both with getting fate back on the right track and trying to figure out a way to get you out of here."

_Do not worry about me, concern yourself first with getting your son situated, because I am in no immediate danger as you can plainly see. However, if you ever do manage to save me, you must let me at least treat you to dinner…_

Jennifer rolled her eyes.

"Goodbye, Merlin. I'll be back as soon as I can," Jennifer promised. She took out her broom but then looked at it thoughtfully, knowing she didn't need to risk another long flight, for Halcyon could manage to get back on his own.

_Would that be an oak broomstick by any chance?_

"I think I'll Apparate," Jennifer decided at once, ignoring the disappointed sound of the sighing winds as she stuck it back in her cloak and popped back to the gates of Hogwarts, pausing a moment to check the hour before making her way back up to their rooms.

She slipped in her sitting room to find everything quiet, taking only a moment to check on Ratfly before wandering through the bedroom and peering into Severus' sitting room to see he had settled in his armchair with a book and Rasputin under his feet, who looked around and hissed when she came in.

"She isn't going to buy your pleas of sympathy any more than I am," Severus said in English. "You had a mouse yesterday."

"Stuck on another diet, is he?" Jennifer chuckled.

"Sagittari's orders. He claims I've been spoiling him again," Severus snorted, glancing up at her before looking at his book again. "Care for some chamomile tea or something before we turn in?"

"What, is that it?" Jennifer frowned. "Aren't you even going to ask where I've been?"

"Sorry, how was your errand running? Get everything done?" he asked casually, still reading. Jennifer put her hands on her hips. "Really, try the tea, Jennifer, it'll help you sleep better. It isn't charmed at all."

"Don't you even care at all where I've been?" Jennifer frowned.

"Of course, Jennifer, I care a great deal, but considering you are back and in one piece I assume that whatever you may have been up to went well, and if there's anything you think I need to know, you'll tell me. Have a biscuit," Severus said.

"Well, yes, I do have things to tell you, but right at this moment, I am more wondering exactly what it is that you are up to. You seem calm and collected but you look stiff and stressed, while all I'm reading from you is relief that I'm back home. Where is the forceful interrogation that I normally get anytime I step out of this castle?" Jennifer asked.

"Having a bit of a respite. Come sit down, Jennifer, and have some tea, especially if you do have something to tell me as you say," Severus said.

"Fine, I will, because this isn't something I'd keep to myself, but I really don't trust you," Jennifer said.

"Yes, I know. Here, try the tea. And I got you some tablets, since you seem to like those," Severus said.

"Severus, please! Exorcize whatever it is that has gotten into you and let me talk to my husband!" Jennifer chuckled, only half-joking. "I found a way to get to Merlin." Severus was instantly alert, putting down his book and gazing at her attentively. "Halcyon was the key. I had forgotten that Aurelius had found Halcyon with Ambrose, and I began wondering what he was doing there at all, and the only thing that made sense was that he must have been with Merlin at the time. So I fetched him and tailed him on a broom all the way to that cliff just above the Lake."

"You tailed him all the way to Anglesey on a broom?" Severus asked starkly.

"Oh, there you are," Jennifer chuckled. "Now, don't worry, Severus, I managed it fair enough except for the landing, and my broom survived it this time. She has him holed up in a tree, quite literally; only he's not completely in the tree…" she began. Severus got a strange expression on his face and got up, combing his bookshelves. "He said something about his soul being kept elsewhere... outside of time, between worlds. Anyhow, he also said that there was no easy way to get him out; either she breaks the agreement with him to not interfere with Ambrose or he has to break his way out, which he said is going to take time. If anyone attempts to rescue him, Severus, I think Viviane will probably find out about it."

"Probably," Severus said. "And I know for a fact this isn't the first time she's done this. I don't think leaving him to his own devices is prudent, either, considering it took him years to get out the last time. And I for one do not intend to see that sword out for years."

"He had some advice on that as well," Jennifer said, regaining his attention even as he pulled out an old tome. "He said that he thinks that Viviane wasn't trying to pull anything with suggesting the scabbard as a quest, because she has been trying to find it since it was lost, and he said it's not something that Aurelius has to tackle on his own and suggested that he form a questing party, including the white and black knights of this time and any others who might be of some help, including Alex, believe it or not…"

"Wait, what do you mean by this black and white knight business?"

"It's some sort of wild magic thing, Severus. Apparently every generation, two children are born with heightened ties to wild magic that help maintain the land's balance. It's a… well, it's a fated thing…"

"Aurelius," Severus murmured, gazing at his wife who nodded. "He's had Brigid's blessing since before he was born. He's always been tied to that forest, as much as we've all attempted to ignore it over the years…"

"Aurelius hasn't," Jennifer pointed out. "Although I really think it quite ironic that the current Keeper of Dark Magic is wild magic's white knight, don't you?"

"Who is the other?" he asked.

"I've got it narrowed down to Joanie or Jamie, Severus," Jennifer said. Severus paused, thinking about it for a while.

"I have no idea which," Severus admitted.

"Neither do I," Jennifer agreed. Severus stood there a few moments longer, growling deep in his throat before putting the tome on the table and going over to ignite the burners on his small lab.

"How I hate this whole situation! None of this should even play a part in today's world, all this ancient nonsense and fate dribble and heirs and destinies are really enough to turn any man's stomach to acid!" Severus said, intentionally blocking Jennifer's view of the lab so she couldn't see which ingredients he was pulling out.

"Rather ironic coming from the Sentinel of Ancient Magic, Severus," Jennifer said with a gentle smile.

"This entire situation is filled with irony. One more will hardly make a difference. All I want at this moment is for my family to have the freedom to make their own decisions concerning what's best for their lives and for everything prophecy related, 'predestiny' related, or fate related to leave us the hell out of it," Severus snapped.

"Everything fate related, Severus? Including having a cosmic match?" Jennifer challenged him. Severus glanced around, frowning at her serious expression.

"Now, you know perfectly well my feelings on that issue, Jennifer," Severus said.

"That it's only a matter of being extremely compatible. The only problem is, we're not," Jennifer said. Severus turned around in surprise, staring at her. "Severus, we argue on a regular basis, even over little things…"

"That is just a normal part of being married, Jennifer, I would hardly equate that with not being compatible," Severus said defensively. "Two hard-headed individuals such as ourselves couldn't possibly be married as long as we have without some growing pains along the way."

"Some being sharper than others," Jennifer said, chuckling softly, Severus' expression darkening despite her gentle tone. "But what if there is more to it than that, Severus? Would you deny our children and grandchildren the chance at ever finding their true cosmic matches in favor of giving them free will without fate's influence? Would Aurelius even be alive today, if fate hadn't intervened during that Harpy attack? Would any of us be alive, had you not taken the chance of believing in fate that first year and put me in Cosmic Sleep? Tell me honestly, Severus, if you took that chance on the basis that we were simply 'extremely compatible', or was it more than that? It's not like you to take uncalculated risks, Severus, especially back then when so much was on the line."

"Jennifer, you would have died if I hadn't tried something, so it was your _only_ chance. That's hardly an uncalculated risk," Severus snapped.

"Except for the fact that death would have been quite preferable if the stunt hadn't worked and I was left like that," Jennifer said.

"Jennifer, please, let's change the subject. What-if's hardly do anyone any good, what is past is past, and what is ahead is best left up to…"

"Fate?" Jennifer interjected.

"Speculation," Severus finished with a flash in his eyes, pouring them both a mug of Subtle Slumber and handing her one insistently.

"Thank you, Severus, I could use one of these, although putting me to sleep isn't going to make the questions go away," Jennifer chuckled, accepting it.

"We have more important things to concentrate on than to debate the existence of fate, Jennifer," Severus said firmly, sitting down beside her on the couch.

"Do you believe in love, Severus?" Jennifer persisted.

"Need you even ask such a question?" Severus murmured, gazing at her seriously. "I believe in love, just as I believe in you. Now, are you going to drink that, or not?" he asked. But Jennifer only took a sip, the taste bringing back memories, and she sat it down and leaned into him with a contented sigh as he drew her close to him once more.

* * *

Aurelius had known from the very first time he had touched the sword that he was in trouble. He had realized from the centaurs' reactions that it was going to be more trouble than he had imagined at the start. And that trouble was quite evident the very moment he walked into his first Defense class, for even after throwing on a black flak jacket to try and partially hide it, every eye was on the sword as he strode in.

"Pass up your assignments from over the holidays, and put your books away for now. We're going to have a short test on the material before we begin… without the moans, if you don't mind," Aurelius added, his eyes instantly darting over at Don's side of the room, ignoring his waving hand as he began to pick up the homework. "Please don't tell me you didn't have time to give me complete answers, you had two weeks. If they're not complete, expect deductions. Eyes to the front, Miss Glass," he added when Pimra seemed more interested in watching Don who was waving his hand frantically in the next row. "Mr. Coventry, put your hand down, what you have to say is not pertinent to class material, which is all I'm interested in at the moment."

"I just want to know where you got the poker," Don said, ignoring the dangerous gleam in Aurelius' eyes. "I didn't know staff were allowed to carry weapons into the classrooms."

"I carry a wand, Mr. Coventry, in a hand of a licensed Auror that is more than enough, although I assure you I'm also licensed to carry any number of other weapons," Aurelius said crisply. "And that's five points for the outburst, I did warn you to put your hand down, I would think a Slytherin would know better."

"You're right, I should have gotten Lucky to ask that instead, since everyone knows she would have gotten away with saying anything in this class," Don said, Helena poking him hard in the back and scowling at him. "Oh, lay off, Weasley! Everyone knows it's true, even if you are a stupid dung-luring owl."

"And that's fifteen more points, Coventry. One more outburst will send you to Brittle's office without an excused absence. Do you really want to start out with a zero?"

Pimra shook her head, half expecting Don to continue. And although he did finally settle down after several murderous glares from the rest of his housemates, Pimra wondered if that was really the end of it.

In fact, Aurelius was wondering the exact same thing as he strode up to the Headmaster's Study for lunch, staring blankly at his father after hearing what had happened the night before.

"Why me?" Aurelius said, Severus gazing at him expressionlessly. "No, seriously, father, why does this stuff always seem to happen to me?"

"I used to ask myself that a lot when I was your age," Severus admitted. "Do you know what Dumbledore used to tell me when I got like that, especially when his patience had run thin?" he asked, Aurelius still glaring at him. "Because you can handle it."

"Oh, come on, Father! That's a copout and you know it!" Aurelius snapped. "I can understand it from Dumbledore, but not from you. You don't believe in fate any more than I do."

"No, but I do believe in divine order and that life is supposed to be a struggle to overcome our shortcomings… although I agree it would seem that some of us have to struggle harder than others," Severus said dryly.

"I don't see how providence is anything more than another word for fate," Aurelius said.

"Yes, well, you'll have to work out your own spirituality questions on your own, I can't help you with that. At any rate, fate or no fate, disturbed balance or not, that sword simply cannot remain here. For one thing, I'd hate to try and explain it to the Ministry or the board if it came to that as to why it's here and how it got here, and it is certainly putting Ambrose's secret in jeopardy. That secret must not get out, Aurelius, if he's to have any chance of a normal life at all."

"Yes, I agree with you there," Aurelius sighed.

"Then I suggest we take Merlin's advice and play along for now," Severus said. "At least until I can figure out a way to get Merlin out of there or get Viviane to stumble without putting Ambrose in any added danger."

"Fine, I'll do the asinine quest for the stupid scabbard," Aurelius scowled. "Although I don't see how I am going to keep this thing quiet if I have to take Joanie with me."

"To perfectly honest, Aurelius, I don't think the sword's presence can be kept quiet," Severus admitted. "So let's concentrate rather on getting it back as soon as possible instead and simply keeping our mouths shut as to how it got here. If you find you need time off, let me know, I'm sure there's a favor or two I can call in to fill for you."

"Thanks," Aurelius said dryly. "I guess I'll stop by and try to arrange some sort of meeting with the girls tonight. I needed to go out to try and find some more cursed items for my advanced classes anyway."

"Good luck," Severus said, Aurelius grimacing in response before striding out the door.

That evening after classes (and a lot of stiff points penalties to anyone who gawked at the sword), Aurelius reluctantly made his way to the Alleys. He had debated leaving the sword behind for the first time since he had gotten it, not wanting to cause a scene. But as secure as Hogwarts was, memories of the times that the Cauldron and even Nuatha's Sword was stolen (once by his own hand) flooded into his mind. Well, it was just after the holidays, after all, and a weeknight at that, so perhaps it would be empty. Convincing himself it probably would be, Aurelius slipped out of the castle and then Apparated over to the street just in front of the _Daily Prophet. _But then he couldn't help but scowl, for right next door, Flourish and Blotts' was absolutely packed, a large but tasteful white and gold banner hanging in the window with the words, "ANNUAL GRIMOIRE AND TOME CLEARANCE SALE!"

Groaning softly, Aurelius pulled the hood up on his cloak and hurried over to the stairs that led up to the main offices, dodging past the crowd in front of the shop. Many of the workers had actually gone home for the evening, for most of them had to get up at an hour that Aurelius himself would have never agreed to on a daily basis no matter _how_ much he was paid for it, and yet many of these had done it for years for even less than his pathetic Auror's salary. Not that money was ever Aurelius' true motivation, nor, it seemed, was it the motivation of the man still sitting behind his desk, looking more and more like his father with every passing year.

"Oh, hullo, Rel, odd seeing you here," Ron said, glancing at him questioningly. "Nothing wrong at the school, I hope? Don't tell me Hermione sent you here to make excuses so she didn't have to eat at Mum's tonight!"

"Uh, no, I haven't seen her since I passed her classroom earlier, actually. She was still marking papers at the point," Aurelius said.

"I suppose it is still early," Ron said, glancing at his watch and getting up, straightening his desk. "Your father has been a bit of a slave driver lately, you know, she's almost always late. Why are you here again?"

"I was looking for Joanie, actually…"

"Oh, well if she'll be anywhere around here tonight, she'll be at Mum's, although lately she's been spending weeknights 'playing chess' with her boyfriend up at the North Pole. Some nights she's gone all night, claiming the time difference throws her off. Personally, I think there's more to this chess game than just moving pieces around a board. Don't tell Hermione I said that, though. She's a bit sensitive about it."

"I wouldn't," Aurelius said with a shrug. "So you said she might be at the Burrow?"

"Yeah, I was heading that way to pick up Rich anyhow. I hope you haven't eaten yet, you don't visit often and you're likely to get stuffed," Ron warned, getting up.

"I remember," Aurelius said dryly as Ron went over to a stand to get his coat. It was then that his eyes saw a curious shiny glint and he found himself focusing in on it.

"What is that? Wait a minute," Ron said with a stunned expression on his face and widening eyes that made Aurelius let out a long sigh. "I've seen that sword before! That hilt… that feeling… it calls to me. It's the sword from the Crystal Cave! That's –"

"Thanks, I know what sword it is," Aurelius cut him off, glaring at him.

"But how in the world did you get it? You didn't pull it out of there, did you? Because I really don't think that was a good idea…"

"I didn't pull it out," Aurelius said, glancing around. "And could you keep it down?"

"How many people know that you have that?"

"Well, I'd say that would be up to you, wouldn't it?" Aurelius asked him seriously. Ron chewed on his lip.

"I've got to know more about this," Ron said insistently.

"Fine, let's head to the Burrow and I'll gather up some people and we'll find a quiet place to discuss it," Aurelius said with a nod.

"A quiet place in that house? Good luck with that!" Ron said, putting on his coat and then paused when discovered a piece of folded paper in his pocket. "Oh wait, I almost forgot, I need to run into Flourish and Blotts real quick to get some books Hermione asked me to pick up."

"Real quick? Have you seen that shop tonight?" Aurelius complained.

"I have them all written down, Rel, it's not the sort of shop I browse in," Ron reassured him. "Besides, if I don't show up without those books tonight, she'll have my hide. I suppose you don't know how it is, not being married."

"No, but I'm constantly given new and twisted reasons why I shouldn't ever consider it," Aurelius said, Ron chuckling at him as they got to the bottom of the stairs. "I think I'll just wait here, if you don't mind."

"I don't blame you," Ron said with a nod. "I'll be as quick as I can."

Aurelius kept to the bottom stair to stay out of the street itself, which was very well lit between the lights from the shops and the lanterns that sprang to life on their own, brightening when anyone walked by and dimming when there was no one to show off for.

It was as a light across the Alley flared up for that a wizard with stark grey hair but a youngish face paused, noticing a curious glint. Aurelius recognized him at once, so when he saw Eric pulling the boy he was with behind him and begin searching the shadows and fingering his belt, Aurelius took a step out into the light.

"It's all right, Derry," Eric said, chuckling at shaking his head at himself as he gently guided the boy beside him across the street. "It's only Professor Aurelius… or is it Auror Snape at the moment?"

"Either will work, Chairman Dalance," Aurelius said.

"This is my grandson, Darien. He's Perry's boy, you remember Perry?" Eric asked with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Darien," Aurelius said stiffly, realizing the boy's eyes were fixed on the sword.

"Hope we didn't ruin your cover, Auror. And what a fantastic sword! Look, grandfather, it rather looks like yours, doesn't it?" Darien said excitedly, and Aurelius watched as Eric's expression changed as he, too, recognized the sword. Eric frowned, gazing at Aurelius questioningly.

"It's not mine, really, it's just a loan," Aurelius explained, Eric still studying him fixedly. "I plan on returning it as soon as possible."

"That sounds like a good plan," Eric agreed. "I think perhaps I'll drop by the castle tomorrow morning to touch base with the Headmaster on some things before the next meeting."

"I'll let him know you're coming then," Aurelius said, and Eric nodded stiffly but cordially.

"Until tomorrow then," he smiled. "Come along, Derry."

"Maybe you ought to bring Arondight with you so you can compare them, grandfather?" Darien suggested, still obviously interested in the gleaming sword despite his father's firm hand on his shoulder.

"No need, Darien, they have been compared before," Eric said distractedly. "And please don't say that name out loud in public again."

Aurelius watched them go, shaking his head to himself.

"Another Gryffindor for sure," Aurelius said with distaste.

"And what's wrong with being a Gryffindor?" Ron asked as he stepped up with a parcel, which even after being minimized looked huge.

"I dare you to ask my father that question," Aurelius said, refusing to be challenged.

"No thanks, I've already heard his opinion on the subject," Ron chuckled, before the two of them finally Apparated over to the Burrow.


	34. Family Business

_A/N skipped a day so folks can catch up, especially since this one is a really long chapter. Hope you like it._

Chapter Thirty-Four

Family Business

Molly Weasley was positively elated at the turn out for family night that week, for practically every family member residing in the country showed up. Aurelius and Alex also came, whom she had thought of almost as adopted children after she and Arthur had looked after them in their youth. Ginny, Penelope, and Heather all helped her clean at the end, making for a very nice evening… that is, until Molly turned around after putting the last dish away to discover the room had been quickly vacated and the chairs had been dragged off. Penelope and Heather were watching the toddlers in the living room, but no one else was anywhere to be seen.

"So it's like that, is it?" Molly said, throwing off her apron and storming over to Arthur's small den to see what the fuss was about, and pushing her way into the packed room to see them all crowding around a hastily cleared desk. "And just what am I being excluded from this time?" she asked dangerously.

"Molly, come over here, quick! Come see it!" Arthur said excitedly, and Molly worked her way closer, gazing at the sword unsurely.

"It isn't as if it is going anywhere," Aurelius said. "Unfortunately."

"May I, Rel?" Arthur asked hopefully.

"Fine, but just you. I don't want it passed around the room," Aurelius protested.

Reverently but quickly, half afraid that Aurelius would change his mind, Arthur reached out and grabbed the hilt, gently lifting the blade with his other hand. A strange light came into his face that startled Molly somewhat, mirrored in the bright blade that suddenly seemed to glisten even more in the light than it did before.

"It almost feels alive. It's as if it vibrates," Arthur murmured as he raised the sword. In that moment, Molly… along everyone else in the room… had no doubts left as to what sword it was that Arthur was wielding. "Oh, if I were only fifty years younger…" he said in awe.

"If I were fifty years younger, I'd be pregnant," Molly protested. "Six times is enough!" Arthur flashed her an amused grin before the distant look returned to his face. "Besides, I don't think I'd have trusted such a thing in your hands Arthur, blood or not. I don't think it's meant to be wielded in this day and age."

"Wait a minute, I'm confused about something," Alex said as Arthur reluctantly put the blade back down at Rel's insistence. "I mean that I've always heard everyone say that the Weasley line was related to King Arthur's line, but how could that be possible? Unless you're related to Mordred as well, that is…"

"Good heavens, no! That's another line entirely!" Molly protested.

"Yes, I think a bit of family background is in order," Arthur agreed as Aurelius tied the sword back onto his belt. "You see, according to both our history and that of the Order of Merlin, Gwenhwyfar… or Guinevere, if you prefer…had three children after Arthur's death. The first she had in the convent she had sought refuge in to get away from Mordred, who was seeking her hand in marriage to add more legitimacy to the throne. She was pregnant with a girl before Arthur's death, you see, and many speculated whose it was. Many believed the baby was Lancelot's, of course, and another bunch," he added, cringing his nose in apparent distaste, "insist that the baby was Mordred's. But others wondered if she was truly Arthur's child and was safely tucked away for her safety. The other two children, of course, were the twins beget by Merlin himself, to try and undo the evil that had been caused by Mordred and his two sons, and to begin the Sentinels, as you well know, to close the portals to protect both worlds from each other's influence. Unlike in the case of Morgan, Gwen was at least a willing partner, seeking revenge for what had happened. But mention of the first girl seemed to disappear, until much later in life after she has been betrothed to a rather poor landowner by the name of Sir Wesley, when Merlin reappeared on her wedding day and confirmed to her that her father was Arthur, and he vowed that her line would live on as long as he did.

"Yes, well, that was the start of it all, I suppose. She had four sons, and one of them, Arthur, ironically enough, married a half-fae… a marriage, which from all accounts turned rather nasty at the end. She put her eldest daughter under cosmic sleep to spite her husband because she didn't like his choice for their daughter's betrothed, although I gather from what was told to me that Merlin sorted it all out in the end. He put the girl and the castle under a suspension charm until he could track down her soul mate, and by the time he found him all her uncles had died off in one war or the other, so they ended up inheriting the land and title.

"Unfortunately, the entire situation did rather frighten the locals, which is rather when the name of our line changed…involuntarily, by some accounts. And it was her children who picked up the knack for magic, and with a few exceptions here and there, the family has been magic born to this day," Arthur concluded. "Anyhow, Merlin has since mentioned to me that what little knowledge that was passed down to us was 'close to the truth', and that we Weasleys were the only true line left. It rather meant a lot to me at the time, actually… the Order of Equinox had been bugging me about the 'fallacy' of our heritage claim for years."

"Until the Lia Fal was found and put that to rights on its own," Molly said.

"True enough," Arthur agreed. "Not that the Order of Merlin ever doubted it. Especially Eric."

"I think I understand why now," Aurelius said, glancing at Arthur who simply nodded. "And all that is interesting, really, I had wondered about that connection myself, but it doesn't do anything to solve the problem at hand. Viviane wants me to find that scabbard, and Merlin and father both think we ought to play along for now. I've been advised to ask you two, Joanie and Jamie, as well as Alex to help, although I'll take any help I can get at the moment."

"You know me, I'm always game for anything, although I am running double-duty already during the week because of you, you know," Jamie pointed out.

"I'll handle that, Jamie. Right now fixing this is more important," Harry said.

"Hey, do I get time off too?" Joanie asked brightly.

"Cut out your personal life, and I think you'll find you'll have more than enough time for this," Ron said dryly, earning a grimace from his daughter and a light snigger from Jamie.

"I'm sure everyone here will help out as much as we can," Molly said, nodding and glancing around the room as if expecting everyone else to nod along with her.

"Sure we will," Harry agreed. "Any ideas on where to start looking?"

"Actually, Aurelius and I have been busy doing some research," Hermione said.

"I knew it," Ron said, shaking his head.

"And we've come to the conclusion that this isn't something we're going to be able to learn from a book," Hermione finished. Ron blinked and stared at his wife only an instant before getting up and insisting she take his seat. "Honestly, Ron, stop being dramatic, and let me explain! The problem is that there are so many different versions of the Arthur story in different cultures and written in different time periods, and they all conflict with each other. Some of the basics of the story are relatively the same throughout, but all of the details are different and in many cases fabricated, filled in, or arranged in a way that may have made sense to the author at the time, but doesn't make sense as far as history is concerned. The more that Aurelius and I looked through those books, the harder it was to tell what parts were embellished or turned into moral parables and what was actual facts. I'm not sure if anyone can ever really sort out that mess," Hermione admitted. "I doubt even Merlin could do it with his memories in tact, despite the fact he was there."

"Well, he wasn't around when that scabbard was chucked, Hermione. He was holed up under a tree by then, just as he is right now. He can't help us," Aurelius said.

"Is there any way we can help him at all?" Arthur asked worriedly.

"I believe Father is working on that problem, actually," Aurelius admitted, and Arthur relaxed a bit. "And in the meantime, he left me to deal with this."

"Us, you mean," Jamie put in. "So the question is, where do we start, if we can't research it in a normal fashion?"

"I was thinking of trying to work our way backwards," Aurelius said. "From Camlann."

"The battle in which Arthur died? But nobody's sure where that battle was," Jamie said.

"Yes, but I happen to know where Viviane's lake is hidden," Aurelius said, everyone growing serious. "One of the stories that plays a part in the majority of legends out there is that a knight, usually Gawain, is bade to throw the Excalibur back into the lake. He returns before Arthur dies from his wounds, lies and tells him that he threw it in, and was sent back again by Arthur until the knight came back with the proper response. Considering how severe the accounts are of his wounds, I seriously doubt they would have been too far away from there if he lived long enough to get that last response, and they had to travel by horse and boat to get there."

"Wow, that makes a lot of sense," Joanie agreed. "So if the lake is hidden in Angelsey, that means more than likely that the battle happened in northern Wales or on Merseyside."

"I hope not, I'd hate to look for anything like this anywhere near Liverpool," Jamie said.

"Well, there are two or three possible archeological sites popular with historians that are close enough to the island to be feasible locations," Hermione said.

"Yes, so let's see about doing some investigating this weekend," Aurelius said.

"Weekend? But it's only Monday! That's days from now…" Joanie protested.

"Joanie, they do have to work, and so do you," Ron said, getting a grimace from his daughter. "It's not like it's a life or death situation. No one is going to jump out of no where and try to steal it or murder him for it or try and force him to surrender it to the government or something like that… well, not yet, anyway…"

"Let's not get carried away," Harry said, darting his friend a look of warning while Aurelius' face darkened noticeably. "I agree that it has to be taken care of as soon as possible, but I also agree that being practical about it is the best way to go. Besides, it'd arouse more suspicion if they did just take off right now. In the meantime, I'm going to go issue some sort of 'official' inquiry and investigation permits and cut through some red tape so that Draco doesn't breathe down my neck if anything goes wrong."

"What? But we'll just be taking a bit of a tour, father." Jamie said innocently.

"He won't buy it any more than I would have," Harry said.

"Wait… you're not going to mention this to Artifacts, are you?" Aurelius frowned in alarm.

"Oh, hell no," Harry said. Alex snickered softly. "At least not right away. I'd like to keep this whole matter being 'not a life and death situation' for as long as possible. They'll find out eventually, of course, but I would rather they have to find out for themselves rather than us walking into a noose. I wonder if I could get Tonks to come out of retirement again to fill in at the office?" he mused.

"Only if you ask," Aurelius admitted. "Thanks, everyone."

"It's nothing, Aurelius," Arthur reassured him. "After all, as far as we're concerned, it's as much our family's responsibility as anyone's. You Snapes take on too much by yourselves as it is, if you ask me."

"You won't hear any arguments from us," Alex chuckled, but then soon became absorbed as Aurelius pulled out some maps to look over.

* * *

Eric Dalance coddled his coffee as he tried to absorb everything that Severus had told him, while Severus simply sat at his desk waiting patiently for him to react.

"Strange, isn't it?" he said at last, glancing thoughtfully at the covered painting. "It's as if in some ways we have come around full circle…one that's over fifteen hundred years in the making, and a very strange twist of fate indeed."

"Now, you know I don't believe in that sort of thing, Eric," Severus said with a sigh.

"Perhaps this event will finally change your mind, my friend," Eric said in a quiet, serious tone, despite Severus' dubious expression. "And although I understand your position on the matter and have chosen to deny its existence over the years, denying something doesn't make it go away. Sometimes, it only makes it more persistent," he said with amusement.

"So what's your official take on the situation, Eric?" Severus asked expressionlessly. "So far it seems that you've been treating this as a personal matter."

"If you mean from the board of governor's point of view, I have no problem with Aurelius wanting to keep it on hand. He is a licensed Auror, after all, although I imagine some of the others will have opinions of it."

"Let them say what they like, I'm entitled to an opinion upon those sorts of decisions as well. As I recall, unless it's a violation of policy or a legal matter, the board can only 'recommend' action anyhow, I have the last say in it."

"True enough, Severus. Although I'm not sure you'd want a board fight on your hands as well as everything else going on," Eric said with amusement. "I'll do what I can to keep things civil, of course, although our best bet is to keep this thing under wraps."

"And from the Order of Merlin's point of view?" Severus asked.

"Honestly, I hope they somehow they don't find out about it," Eric admitted.

"Yes, I agree whole-heartedly, considering…" Severus said, but then frowned when he noticed his quill had scrawled a quick note in his appointment book. "What the devil is he doing here?"

"Who?" Eric asked, blinking in surprise, while Severus looked at Dippet questioningly.

"It would appear, sirs, that Mister Coventry is on his way up," the painting said.

"Oh, no! Tell me he didn't hear about this already!" Eric said, glancing at Severus.

"I suppose we'll be finding out soon enough," Severus said, waving the doors open but then took more interest in refilling their cups and raiding the pastry tray, the two of them talking about trivialities until Abraxus came huffing in.

"Excuse me, Severus… oh hello, Eric. I hope I'm not disturbing you," Abraxus said.

"Would it have mattered?" Severus asked curtly.

"Try the coffee, Abraxus, it's quite good. It's not at all like the coffee I had last time I was here, Severus," Eric said.

"No, this is Jennifer's. She makes it on a whim from time to time in the mornings, usually a sign she wants to visit the house for awhile," Severus said casually, Eric chuckling in response.

"Must you both always try to talk through me?" Abraxus said irritably.

"We weren't talking through you, Abraxus. In fact, I recommended the coffee," Eric reminded him.

"Care to have a seat, Abraxus?" Severus offered in the same even tone.

"I hate it when you both get like this!" Abraxus said, and Severus and Eric stared at him blankly. "I am here because I got a rather disturbing letter from my children last night concerning one of your instructors, Severus."

"All of the children? Or one in particular?" Severus asked knowingly.

"That is neither here nor there," Abraxus said, refusing to put up with such calm and rational behavior when he was worked up. "I have been told that yesterday your son Aurelius wore a weapon while he was teaching, and it was distressing his students. Weapons should most definitely not be allowed in the classrooms!"

"And how, may I ask, is my staff going to teach after being robbed of their wands?" Severus asked.

"Now you know perfectly well I was speaking of the sword, Severus," Abraxus said firmly.

"Abraxus, my son is an Auror, and knows more about dark magic than anyone. He is much more dangerous with a wand than he is with any sword," Severus said evenly.

"It isn't about reality, Severus. It is about perception," Abraxus said with exasperation. "He frightens the students enough as it is. Parents have been complaining about him…"

"I have not been receiving any complaints," Severus said. "At least none of any merit."

"Well, they have been complaining to us," Abraxus said. "Haven't they, Eric?"

"Well, yes, but nothing we haven't heard before when Severus was teaching full time," Eric said, having a hard time hiding his amusement.

"Then you won't be shocked when I tell you that I have no qualms with Aurelius' teaching style," Severus said coolly.

"Well I do," Abraxus said back. "I can't see how scaring one's students could possibly be productive. There is no need for fear tactics!"

"He teaches Defense against the Dark Arts, Abraxus. I'd be much more concerned if that class wasn't afraid," Severus replied.

"Well, maybe it's time we rethought even offering that class. After all, it isn't as if it's needed in this day and age," Abraxus said. Eric, who had been doing his best to ignore the conversation, put down his coffee and stared at him. Severus, who had already been staring at him, seemed to get even stonier and his black eyes fixed on Abraxus like a snake ready to strike.

"Was that comment made as a parent, or as a board member?" Severus asked flatly.

"Both, actually," Abraxus said.

"What Severus is saying, Abraxus, is that if you weren't a parent, he'd have already thrown you out," Eric said evenly. "In fact, I wouldn't blame him if he _still_ threw you out."

"Fine, if you feel that way, but don't be surprised if I lodge a complaint with the Ministry, and this will be a topic at the next board meeting," Abraxus said stiffly before he finally walked out.

"Severus, if you had any hopes left of keeping this thing quiet, I believe they just blew out the door," Eric said. Severus didn't say anything in response, but it was evident from his expression that he had realized that himself.

* * *

Early Saturday morning, Jennifer went into the house on Baker Street and straight over to the playpen, while Severus paused at the door, glancing around and hanging up his coat before stepping over to where Ben sat at his customary spot at the computer.

"Has Alex arrived?" Severus asked.

"Last night, actually, she's in there getting ready for the expedition," Ben said. "Although she has rather been complaining about the fact this was set up on a Saturday," he added with a chuckle. "You know how she is about family weekends."

"It couldn't be helped, and really. I would like this over with as soon as possible, considering how the _Oracle_ has finally gotten a hold of this thing," Severus murmured.

"Why don't you go along, Ben? That way the two of you can spend time at least. I can handle things here," Jennifer suggested.

"Thanks, but I know from past ventures of this nature that I'd only end up getting in the way," Ben said. "Besides, Minerva said something about you working on Michael's christening gown today?"

"Yes, although I hope she has a better idea of what it's supposed to look like than I do," Jennifer chuckled, picking up Rus. "Where is she?"

"She has breakfast with Mr. Dumbledore every morning, but I'm sure she'll be back soon," Ben explained.

"Milk?" Janus said pathetically, and Severus glanced up the stairs to see Alex picking up Janus to carry him down. Janus then eyed Severus disapprovingly, pointing at him. "Milk!" he said accusingly.

"What is Grandfather doing here? He lives here, silly," Alex said with a sigh. "Hello, Father. Did you hear about the article in the _Oracle_?"

"Which one? _Dangerous Weapon Seen being worn by Hogwarts Professor? _Or my favorite, _Dangerous Weapon Rumored to be Excalibur! Is King Arthur's Return Imminent?"_

"What? I take it that's this mornings," Alex frowned, putting down Janus and taking the offered paper, ignoring the boy's protests. "How did they make the connection? I mean, just because Rel's wearing a sword certainly doesn't mean it's Excalibur."

"Arthur Weasley and Eric both made the connection upon first seeing it, Alexandria, as did Ron," Severus pointed out.

"Yes, well, Ron had seen it before, and Arthur and Eric probably knew it due to their family heritage," Alex reasoned. "But they certainly wouldn't have contributed to the Oracle's take on this, would they?"

"Yes, at least Ron had an article already waiting when he got wind of it. According to his sources, the Oracle supposedly found out what sword it was from a student," Severus explained.

"A student?" Alex echoed. "Well, how many students knew about it?"

"Originally only Fortuna, Ambrose, and Chance, and perhaps several friends they trust enough to confide in… I'm not yet certain whom out of those might have said something yet."

"But if it was one of their closest friends, that means they may know about Ambrose as well," Alex said with alarm.

"The thought had occurred to me," Severus admitted. "Let me and your mother worry about that bit of it, Alexandria. You and Aurelius already have enough to deal with."

"Hopefully he'll be here soon," Alex said.

"Milk?" Janus frowned.

"No, Mommy isn't staying today, but it's okay. Grandma and Grandfather are staying, so you can visit with them," Alex suggested. Janus gazed at her only for a second before he sat down and started to cry.

"Oh no, here we go again," Ben moaned as it quickly escalated into a full-fledged tantrum.

"I'll be damned first," Severus said curtly, picking up the toddler who was still kicking and screaming. "There will be no Don Coventrys in this family, young man!" he swore, ignoring Alex's protests as he plopped him down in the pen and took out his wand.

A moment later, the pen suddenly transformed so that it had a top over it like a cage, complete with a lock.

"I don't want anyone near him. I don't want anyone to even look at him. He is not here!" Severus snapped. "It's time he learned that he isn't going to always get what he wants."

"Now, just a minute…" Alex began, but Ben jumped up and grabbed onto Alex's arm, keeping her from going into the living room. "Let go of me!"

"Alex, why don't you go get your cloak and finish getting ready," Ben suggested firmly.

"You are taking his side!" Alex said accusingly as he pulled her towards the stairs.

"Yes, yes I am, because he happens to be right," Ben said, climbing up the stairs. Furious, Alex followed behind him, slamming the door of their suite as she went in.

Severus shook his head, ignoring the screaming completely as he walked through into the kitchen, Jennifer giving him a knowing smile and handing Rus to him so she could make coffee.

"How long do you suppose it'll take him to realize that no one is paying attention?" Jennifer asked as he sat down at the counter.

"As long as this has been going on, I imagine it'll take awhile," Severus admitted.

"Ja! Ja! Ja!" Icarus said, pouting.

"No, no, you don't pay attention to him either," Severus frowned at him. "Jennifer, hand up some biscuits for Rus."

"If it was just for Rus, you wouldn't have asked for more than one," Jennifer teased him, handing him a tin. Even though the baby still seemed distressed, he took the cookie willingly, mumbling protests between bites. "Really, he has the entire family dithering, hasn't he?"

"Yes, well, I am glad that Ben finally seems willing to put his foot down on the issue, and I have every intention of going even further with this while we're here today," Severus said.

"Our children go off to save the world and we're stuck here saving the grandchildren?" Jennifer asked tauntingly.

"Can you think of a better opportunity?" Severus asked bluntly, and Jennifer chuckled at him.

* * *

Aurelius sighed in frustration. It had not been a productive morning, and the sight of the valley from the summit of Cader Idris made him shake his head.

"There is no way anyone could have hosted a battle in that," Aurelius said flatly.

"No, but it is one of the sights listed, and there is a lake up there we ought to check out, I think," Alex said. "Llyn Cau, it's called. That one down there is Talyllyn Lake."

"If we try to search every single lake in Gwynedd, we will never get done with this, Alex," Aurelius said bluntly. "Let's just concentrate on finding the battle site today, and that's it… although even I have to admit it probably wasn't such a good idea as a starting point."

"I think we are closer, though," Jamie said, adjusting her backpack. Playing tourist was by far her least favorite 'disguise.' "At least the site isn't a suburb like that one we checked out near Cheshire."

"It was a waste of time," Jamie agreed. "Besides, it's probably too far from the island to have been it… as is this ridge, actually."

"Says the girl who wanted to go to Cornwall," Alex said.

"Well it just seemed like there was some sort of connection somehow…" Jamie argued.

"Really, that is enough!" Aurelius snapped. "We've already discussed this. Cornwall might be a possible site of Camelot according to some of the stories, but it's definitely much too far south to be feasible for the site of Arthur's death. Honestly, I think we might still be too far south, even if the Camlann and Gamlann rivers are nearby, although I do agree that it was probably somewhere in the Snowdonia region and in one of these valleys… and probably under one of those blasted farms. Really, what's the point of having a 'land reserve' if they allow people to farm on it?"

"Food has to be grown somewhere, doesn't it?" Alex said calmly.

"It is quite picturesque up here," Joanie commented. "Although it's much like looking for a needle in a haystack, isn't it? I mean, even if we get lucky and actually do find somewhere that might have been the battle site, what do we look for? What do you expect to find that hasn't been eroded by time?"

"Ancient runes, for one… chipped into rocks when they made cairns for the dead… anything that would give proof that we're on the right track and this is the right region of the country," Aurelius explained, gazing off into the distance.

"Are you sure you'll be able to decipher them?" Joanie asked. "Oh, the magic ones might be easy enough to figure out, but can you read the language?"

"No, but she can," Aurelius said, nodding to Alex as a smile crept across her face. "Honestly, you don't _really _think I'd suffer my sister along just because of some vague reference of fate and that silly wand of hers, do you?" he asked bluntly. Alex stuck her tongue out at him behind his back. "If we can confirm for certain that we should be looking in Wales, it'll help narrow the field, I think…at least we might be use it to start pinpointing where the other kingdoms were."

"I could still believe Morgan le Fey was Scottish, even if the site itself was here," Jamie said. "I've seen mentions that she married someone out of Rheged, so at the very least north of here."

"Yes, I know, and I haven't ruled it out," Aurelius assured her. "But honestly, we have to rule out something."

"We did, we ruled out Cornwall and Salisbury and that area near Cheshire," Alex said, following him around the ridge. "And here, I suppose."

"No, I don't think there's anything here. It doesn't feel right," Aurelius said.

"But Wales feels right as far as the battlegrounds are concerned," Jamie said thoughtfully, and Aurelius nodded to her in agreement.

"The oldest of tales came from here, after all, and considering where Viviane is, I think it does make the most sense," Aurelius agreed. "Still, it would be nice to be certain of a starting point before we try to dig into the old documents any further."

"I don't know, Rel," Jamie said quietly, staring into the depths of the lake. "It sounds logical, but that might be a problem. I mean, the longer we stand here… as crazy as it sounds, I get the impression the scabbard isn't something we can find by trying to reason it out. It's… more like it's something we have to trust our gut instincts rather than actually trying to use logic."

"You know, I think she's right," Alex said. "The story of Arthur has been told too many times and by too many people and in too many ways. I mean, even when we read them, we have to sort out which one we personally believe is right. In some ways what we're doing now is the same thing, really, exploring about and trying to figure out what we think is right…"

"Except we wouldn't be standing on the edge of a mountain in the middle of Wales in the middle of winter if we were just trying to sort out a story," Aurelius said.

"Seems to me that is exactly what we're doing," Joanie said, nodding to Alex.

"What do you suppose is up with those bubbles in the lake? Is there a hot springs under there?" Jamie asked.

"Not according to the guide book I bought," Alex frowned. "It's not even volcanic… in fact, I'm surprised the lake isn't frozen over…"

"Rather looks like a bubbling cauldron, doesn't it? Should we ought to pop down there and take a look?" Jamie asked.

"I don't like this," Aurelius muttered. "You don't think there could be anything living in there, do you?"

"You mean something magical?" Joanie asked.

"I'd think it unlikely, considering there are still a fair number of humans about the area," Alex said.

"Yes, but not so many in winter," Aurelius said, then Apparated to the edge. Jamie followed a split second later, immediately taking a defensive stance behind him. "Don't get too close, Jamie. I need to see what it is, just in case it's something that needs to be gotten rid of."

"Or relocated," Jamie said, a bit afraid that Aurelius was more likely to cast first and ask questions later. But he simply nodded briskly to her and stepped to the edge of the cauldron, kneeling just long enough to test the water.

"It's definitely warm," Aurelius admitted. "Just like a hot spring… look at the vapor."

"So what do you suppose is holed up here?" Jamie asked.

"What do you know that likes high, remote places and retains its own heat?" Aurelius said. But before she could answer, there was a giant splash as a huge green-scaled beast rose out of the water and snapped at them, hoping for an easy snack. But the two Aurors had simply Apparated and reappeared just a few feet to either side as its jaws snapped hungrily at the empty air in front of it.

"A dragon!" Jamie shouted.

"Obviously!" Aurelius snapped as the dragon seemed to take interest in him and hurried further back, hoping that it wasn't inclined to come any further out of the water.

"Wow, that's not a Welsh Green! That's a Jaded Highlander! It's a protected species!" Joanie shouted as the other two girls Apparated closer. "They're practically extinct!"

"Are you trying to tell me I can't kill it?" Aurelius yelled back, despite knowing the answer to that question already as he pulled the Aegis off its neck. The shield quickly grew to full size just as the dragon took another snap at him.

"Rel, Apparate again!" Alex screamed.

"No, it'll just come after one of you, then! It's safer if I handle it! Why don't you try and get help and we'll try and subdue it somehow, or at least keep it distracted!" Aurelius said, ducking behind the shield one more time. "Jamie, hit it with a sleep spell or something!"

"But dragons are immune to that sort of spell!" Jamie said. Alex blinked as a glint of sunlight flashed in front of her eyes, although it took her a few seconds for her to realize where it had come from.

"Wait, Rel! Use the sword!" Alex said.

"Did you or did you not say I had to keep this thing in one piece?" Aurelius complained.

"No, no, don't attack it! Blind it!" Alex said. "It's the sword that's attracting him to you in the first place!"

"Oh, is it?" Aurelius said, realizing she was right. He quickly sleeved his wand and drawing Excalibur, raising it up so it could catch the sunlight, its mirror-like surface throwing a bright beam of light into the dragon's face.

Looking a bit stunned, the dragon back up a bit, blinking its thin eyelids and shaking its head to try and clear the spots out of its eyes. Regaining its composure, the dragon let out a loud, echoing roar.

At first, Aurelius didn't suspect that anything had happened except for the slight ringing in his ears. It wasn't until he noticed that he was still hearing a deafening sound even after the dragon stopped roaring that it occurred to him they may have been in trouble.

Had he even taken the moment to turn around to find out what was amiss, it would have been too late to Apparate out. But just in the nick of time, an arm came up from behind and pulled him straight upwards just as a wall of snow rushed in, burying the very spot he had been standing in ten feet of snow. A bit disoriented, he suddenly realized he had been pulled up onto a magic carpet.

"Hang on there, Rel! Don't lose that sword! Dad would never forgive me if I had a hand in that," Bill Weasley said.

"Look! Look! Can you believe it? A real Jaded Highlander! I've always wanted to see one of these! Female, too!" Charlie shouted, sounding almost like a teenager again from where he sat on a winged horse with Jamie pulled up in front of him.

"Where's my sister?" Aurelius asked, putting his sword back on.

"Saw her and Joanie Apparate right as we flew in…. there they are, on the ridge. Hang on now; let me drop you off so I can help Charlie with this dragon. Good thing you four wore it out first, I think she'd have been a pain otherwise," Bill said with a mischievous wink as they darted up to the ridge.

"Wait a minute! If no one went for help, how in the hell did the two of you get here so fast?" Aurelius asked.

"Apparently Charlie got a tip there was a dragon up here, and I got a tip there was some sort of lost treasure hidden near the lake. Well, at least one of those tips paid off," Bill chuckled. "Good thing we arrived when we did, though, or the two of you would have been buried alive!"

"Wait… did this tip come in the form of an Owl Post note that burned itself up right after you read it?" Aurelius asked darkly.

"Right in one! How'd you know?" Bill asked with open interest.

"Just a wild guess," Aurelius said dryly as he stepped off the carpet.

"Constellations, that was close!" Alex said in obvious relief, hugging him. But Aurelius didn't feel quite so impressed by the rescue and got straight to work helping Charlie, Bill and the others round up the rogue dragon.

* * *

It had taken quite a while for Janus to calm down. In fact, he didn't give up until Ben finally left to run a 'quick errand' at the pub down the street. Left with only a 'hostile' audience, Janus finally resorted to sitting quietly and glaring, holding his arms close as if hugging himself and daring anyone to come near him. Inevitably, he fell asleep. By the time he awoke, the cage had faded and he was left in a normal playpen again.

"Milk!" Janus said, pointing at the ground outside the pen as he demanded to be let out, but Daddy wasn't in his computer corner. Instead, Grandfather was sitting in one of the easy chairs reading, and apparently he must not have heard him. "Milk!" Janus shouted again, jumping up and down angrily. Finally, Grandfather closed his book, put his spectacles away, and got up. But without even looking at him, he went upstairs, leaving Janus alone in the room. Furious, Janus began to scream and wail so loud that he didn't even hear when his grandfather came back down the stairs again with Rus in his arms.

"Ja! Ja!" said Rus.

"No, no, you brother is still being naughty," Severus said calmly. "Grandfather?"

"Gamma!" Rus said.

"No, Grandma is still upstairs with Aunt Minerva. Ball?" Severus offered, a ball floating up off the floor into his hand so that Icarus could reach it.

"Ba!" Rus said contentedly, gnawing on the ball the moment he got it.

"Milk!" Janus commanded.

"Sorry, Janus, I'm talking to Rus right now, it's much more interesting," Severus said, not even bothering to look over at him. "Although you may have a point. I think he might be hungry, don't you?" he said, peering through into the kitchen and waving the ice box open with a quick hand gesture, catching the bottle that flew out.

"Ba-ba!" Rus said with interest, dropping his ball.

"No, we're going to learn a new word first," Severus said, sitting back down with the baby still ignoring Janus entirely. "Milk?"

"Milk!" Janus said with a frown. But Severus ignored him completely.

"Milk? Come, Rus, say milk, that's what's in the bottle, you know. Do you want some milk?"

Janus let out a high-pitched squeal of anger.

"Ja! Ja!" Rus said.

"No Ja-ja. It's your time to learn to talk, not his. Milk?" Severus said calmly.

Janus fell into another explosive tantrum, loud and vicious enough that his father peeked in the room to check on them. Sighing, Ben slipped back out of view when Janus noticed him, but Janus had noticed him and stood up, growing even more furious when his father didn't come back no matter how much he was wailing.

"Daaaaaaaaaddaaaaaa!" Janus screamed, his grandfather suddenly taking notice of him. "Dadda! Dadda! Dadda! DADDA!" he commanded, Ben rushing in with his eyes wide.

"That was Janus!" Ben said in surprise, picking him up in complete elation and hugging him tightly. "Janus said Daddy! Did you hear that? Jennifer, did you hear it?" he asked when she appeared in the doorway with a beaming smile.

"I think the entire neighborhood heard it," Severus said dryly, handing Icarus his bottle and getting up to put him in the pen.

"Thank you! I don't know how you managed it, but what a relief!" Ben said, hugging him again.

"Milk!" Janus said, pointing at Severus accusingly and sobbing again.

"Have it your way, hate me as you like, I really don't care," Severus said unconcernedly. "I doubt you'll have any more trouble teaching him now, Benjamin. If you do, just try and teach it to Rus first. I'm afraid Janus didn't take kindly to my trying to teach Rus his one and only word."

"Milk," Janus mumbled.

"Yes, that one," Severus said in annoyance.

"Can you say daddy again?" Ben said coaxingly.

Janus found himself suddenly getting all the attention as his father repeated the word over and over again and his grandparents seemed to content not to pick his brother back up again.

"Dadda," Janus murmured after a long internal debate over whether or not to say anything.

"Music to my ears," Ben said happily. "Come, let me get you some food and some you-know-what, eh?" he suggested, taking Janus into the kitchen.

Severus heard a soft chuckle and felt Jennifer put her arms around him as she came up behind him.

"That was positively brilliant, Severus," Jennifer said admiringly.

"I'd like to think I've learned something about children over the years," Severus mused, earning another chuckle. "About finished?"

"Almost, we were just putting the finishing touches on it when I ran down to see what the ruckus was about," Jennifer said.

"Understandable, although I really think this family would be better off if we stopped charging in to the rescue when what the person needs most is to be left alone," Severus said. Suddenly, he felt Jennifer stiffen at his side, and he gazed at her searchingly in surprise. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"There are times when a person really does need saving, Severus," Jennifer said defensively.

"I never meant to imply otherwise," Severus said gently. "I meant only that we need to use more discretion… not only in Janus' case where what he needed most was not to be pampered to… but in general, we as a family tend to rush into situations when we ought to be trusting each other to do what we think is best."

Jennifer frowned, studying him searchingly. He was thinking about his own reactions to things in that moment, she realized, a little baffled by how thoughtful he had become. He wasn't referring to her at all, nor was he trying to accuse her. So why did she still feel he was doing exactly that? Before it truly occurred to her that he was gazing back at her questioningly and was patiently waiting for her to comment or at least to cue him in what was on her mind, Jennifer heard the front door open.

"We're back!" Alex announced cheerfully. "And boy, did we have an adventure!"

"Did you figure out where the battlefield was?" Jennifer asked with interest.

"No, but it was fun, all the same," Alex said.

Aurelius, who didn't look as if he had any fun at all, stepped in behind her and eyed his mother so critically that she wished very much she were wearing her spectacles. Mentally, she attempted to push them up, turning as if to look in the kitchen.

"Well, we have news, at least. Janus finally learned a new word! He knows how to say 'Dadda'!" Jennifer beamed.

"Ardently," Severus said dryly, and happened to be looking the right way to see Alex's face fall with disappointment, but she forced a smile on her face when she noticed him looking at her.

"Lovely, that is good news," Alex said stiffly.

"Alex? In here," Ben called out, and Alex wandered in the kitchen.

"I had better get upstairs and help Minerva finish that gown so we can get back to the castle," Jennifer said quickly. "I'm sure she's wondering where I've gotten to."

"Just a moment, Mum, you and I need to have a talk," Aurelius said firmly. "You too, father, you really need to hear this."

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere," Severus shrugged, sitting back down near where he had set his book.

"It's about what happened when we got to Cader Idris earlier. You know what happened, don't you, mother?" Aurelius challenged her.

"I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about," Jennifer said evenly. Curious, Alex came back in to see what was going on, Janus clinging to her like she had been gone for a year instead of an afternoon. "I have been here all day, which everyone in this household including your father and Minerva upstairs can attest to."

"You sent out Owls yesterday if I'm not mistaken," Aurelius said, then turned to Severus, who seemed to be more interested in his book than the conversation. "See, we ran into a dragon today while we were up at the summit near the lake there, a rare one at that. Well, you know how are laws are about that sort of thing, so I was trying to distract it so one of the girls could run back to the Ministry for help… not that they ever did."

"At the time it looked as if you needed us," Alex said defensively. "I was afraid it was going to breath fire or something, and I certainly didn't expect an avalanche!"

"An avalanche?" Severus said with a bit more interest.

"Yeah, although I didn't realize at the time that was what was happening, but then out of the blue, who yanks me up but Bill Weasley, who, along with Charlie had gotten strange a Owl the night before hinting there might be something up there that'd interest them," Aurelius said.

"It sounds as if you were quite lucky they were there then," Severus said calmly.

"You don't believe luck any more than I do, Father. It's quite obvious to me what must have happened," Aurelius said. "Mum was fooling around with that Obol again, and I think it's about time it was put back in responsible hands, don't you?"

"It already is," Severus said, opening his book up again.

"Have you gone mad? Really, this is taking this 'humoring her' thing way too far…"

"Am I to understand that you are angry right now because someone stepped in and saved your life?" Jennifer interrupted in the same harsh tone she had often given him as a boy.

"I am angry that anyone interfered at all!" Aurelius said.

"So what you're saying is that you would rather preserve your ultimate right of choice by having everyone just stand around and watch as you and Jamie get buried alive?" Jennifer asked in disbelief.

"I never said anything about Jamie being in danger, Mum," Aurelius said with a fixed gaze.

"My point, Aurelius, is that having free will doesn't mean that no one else's decisions aren't going to affect your own in some way," Jennifer snapped. "Instead of resenting people around you doing what they can for you, you should try being a bit more grateful! You know, your father and I spent most of the day today trying to convince a two year old that the world doesn't revolve solely around him and he can't always get what he wants. Honestly, I think at your age you would have learned that lesson by now! I have a right to make my own decisions as well, Aurelius Snape, and my decision is not to allow anyone in my family have to experience being buried alive like I was, and I have every intention of doing everything in my power to make certain of it, I don't care if you approve or not! And another thing, you can say what you like about me on a professional basis while we're at Hogwarts, but if you can't treat me and your father with some measure of respect after what we put up with raising you, you are soon going to find yourself quite unwelcome in this house!"

"Fine, have it your way. So much for family first," Aurelius said.

"I'm not the one who barged in here making accusations against a family member, Aurelius," Jennifer said coolly.

"They're not accusations if they're true, Mum," Aurelius said quietly.

"Whether or not they're true is entirely beside the point, and the fact you don't see that only proves just how much you still have to learn. You may be an Auror, but you are not my judge or jury, and you may be a Truth Seeker, but sooner or later you are going to realize that truth is a great deal more complicated than just 'yes it's true' or 'no, it's not.' Now, get out of my house until you're ready to act civilized again!" Jennifer snapped.

Aurelius stared at her long and hard, but she was too furious at him to read anything else. Angrily he turned, pausing in surprise to see his father still sitting there calmly, reading his book.

"See you on Monday," Severus said evenly when he felt Aurelius' eyes on him. Aurelius shook his head at him and walked out the door. As the room fell into silence, Jennifer heard footsteps on the stairs, and whatever she had been planning to say to Severus left her mind as Minerva stepped into the doorway with a thin, cautious smile.

"I'm so sorry, Minerva! I was… slightly detained…'

"It's quite all right. I just thought I would check on you, but if you're not done, I understand."

"No, I think I'm quite done, actually," Jennifer said. "Mercy, send some tea up, please."

"I hope you like what I've done so far. We shouldn't be more than half hour to an hour more, Severus," Minerva reassured him thoughtfully, despite the fact he hadn't moved other than a quick glance at Jennifer as she passed by on her way up the stairs.

"Take your time, Minerva, if anyone can settle her, you can," Severus said unconcernedly.

"Thank you," Minerva said with a hint of sarcasm. She paused, watching Jennifer step off the landing and down the hall. "You know, Aurelius really is a great deal like you were at his age."

"Tell me something I don't already know," Severus said dryly. Minerva simply smiled at him in response before finally following Jennifer back upstairs.


	35. No Choice Whatsoever

Chapter Thirty-Five

No Choice Whatsoever

"Is there any new news?" Ambrose said anxiously as Dale came into the Owl Room early Sunday morning with several papers in hand. It was very early, and he and Dale were the only ones there.

"Nothing on your father, I'm afraid," Dale said gently, glancing at the _Daily Prophet _before handing it to him. "All the media is having a field day with Professor Aurelius, though. Bit of a mess, really… he'd be better off laying low for awhile instead of instigating dragons."

"He is just trying to do what he can to get that sword back," Ambrose said. "It's all my fault."

"Now, don't be so hard on yourself, Ambrose, remember what the painting told us," Dale said, rubbing his shoulders gently. "It's not helping anyone to be brooding about it in any case. I'm sure once Professor Aurelius is able to sort this business out with the sword, they'll be able to find Merlin and rescue him."

"I don't think it could possibly be that easy. In fact, I think it's going to be near impossible to rescue him," Ambrose said.

"Oh, come now, Ambrose, there's no reason to be that pessimistic…"

"Dale, don't you think if my father could come back he would have by now? At least to help sort this business with the sword out?" Ambrose asked.

"I'm sure he would," Dale agreed.

"But if he can't, that means he's somewhere powerful enough to hold him. If Merlin himself can't get out, how can anyone else expect to get him out?" Ambrose said. Dale paused, uncertain at first what to say.

"We'll get him out, Ambrose," Dale reassured him.

"So you'll help me, then?" Ambrose asked. Dale paused, realizing at that moment how literally the boy had taken him and the determination in his eyes. But what could do they do? It wasn't even if they were getting out of school anytime soon.

"If a way presents itself and it won't get us expelled, sure," Dale said cautiously.

"Right," Ambrose said with a nod, apparently placated by that. "I don't want to get expelled either," he added.

"Good," Dale grinned, getting up. "Another pastry?"

"All right," Ambrose agreed.

Just then, Reggie walked in with some books in hand, stopping short when he saw them.

"What are you two doing up? Honestly, even the birds are asleep," he said.

"Then what are you doing up?" Dale challenged him, pushing a scone at him when he came over.

"I have first shift in the library on Sundays this term," Reggie yawned. "But I suppose someone has to do it. Besides, it'll help me get caught up on my reading," he said. Dale shook his head when he saw there were several magazines in the mix. "Anyhow, you didn't answer me."

"Oh, we have a concert later this morning in the Service Room, so we got up early to eat."

"If you eat too soon before a concert, it'll hurt your tone. That's what Professor Scribe says," Ambrose explained.

"Bah, that's what potions are for," Reggie said.

"Well, Professor Craw says you can get awful dependent on potions if you use them too often," Ambrose added.

"Do you have a single opinion in that head of yours that someone else didn't put in it?" Reggie asked Ambrose with exasperation, knocking on the boy's head when he passed him on the way back to the desk with his breakfast. "Honestly, I think this going to school early thing just made him more susceptible to their brain washing. Whatever happened to the social deviate aspiration you used to have?"

"Oh… well, Lucky's got enough of that to cover for both of us," Ambrose said.

"You can say that again," Reggie said dryly. He was about to step back out of the room only to have Lucky and Connie push their way past him. "Excuse me!" he said in annoyance.

"We try," Connie agreed. "Besides, ladies first."

"Haven't seen any," Reggie retorted. "Especially since you've been hanging out with her."

"Don't listen to him, Lucky, he's just not a morning person," Connie said, when she saw her dark eyes flash.

"Who is?" Lucky snorted.

"Morning, Lucky!" Ambrose beamed at her.

"Him, apparently," Connie decided, grabbing a juice before sitting down.

"Eh, he'll grow out of it," Lucky said. "Anyone wanna go kick some balls around?"

"But it's so cold!" Connie said with exasperation.

"Ya, but at least it's dry, and anyways, Quidditch practice will be startin' up again and then we'll have to start schedulin' around it," Lucky said, snorting at the inconvenience. "One of these days somebody is gonna break their neck and die pullin' some stupid stunt out there, probably Superstar Ken."

"Who?" Ambrose asked.

"She meant me," Dale said dryly. "Gee, Lucky, at least you care that much."

"Sure I do, because if you die, I don't have the opportunity to say 'I told you so' when you end up in the hospital ward," Lucky retorted. "So are you coming or not?"

"Well, I've only got an hour or so before choir, but until then, I'm yours," Dale said in a tone that earned him a dirty look in response. "Come on, Connie and Ambrose, it'll get your mind off things and help you think better if you get a bit of exercise. Besides, I think Lucky wants to break those Preds in," he teased.

"Nah, I'll save those for football season," Lucky decided as they got up and walked towards the door. "I don't wanna ruin 'em before our first game."

"I wouldn't worry, Lucky, they're durable even for someone like you," Dale chuckled.

"Don't be so sure of that, those feet of hers are dangerous," Connie said, wrinkling her nose.

"Not as dangerous as other things," Lucky warned her.

"All the same, you might want to consider asking for some new sports socks for your birthday, Lucky," Connie suggested. "That way you'll have them before we have scheduled practices."

"Like anybody asks for socks for their birthday!" Ambrose grinned.

"Yes, well, you should also ask for a new ball while you're at it," Connie decided.

"I don't wanna new ball," Lucky said, suddenly turning quite somber. "In fact, I'd rather everyone just forgot I had a birthday this year, okay? So don't bring it up again."

"Okay," Connie said with a shrug.

"Why not?" Ambrose asked at the same time.

"Because it's just another day, that's all. It doesn't mean anything. Besides, I don't need anything anyhow. I got everything that counts, right?" Lucky said.

"Yeah, when you put it that way, I suppose you're right," Ambrose said with a grin. Dale frowned thoughtfully, wondering why it sounded as if Lucky was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

It was such a casual conversation that most of them soon forgot about it, but as January wore into February, Lucky's mood got steadily worse. Her friends had long gotten used to her phases of brooding, although some of them privately wondered about how long it was lasting, especially Dale, who began to wonder if there might be something truly wrong.

"Hey, wake up, will you? Early class today, you know," Bobby said, nudging Dale over as he sat down to breakfast.

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking," Dale said, making more room for him as he gazed over at the Gryffindor table. "How's your arm?" he acted distractedly.

"A bit kinked still after that knock into the stands, but I should be good by the time Quidditch season starts. You are still playing, aren't you?"

"Yeah, long as I can keep up with my studies. We have OWLS this year, you know…"

"I don't need the reminder, thanks," Bobby said. "I don't even know what to say at the interview yet. Do you?"

"Yeah, I figured that out long ago," Dale murmured. "What do you suppose is wrong with Lucky?"

"There's always been something wrong with that girl," Bobby snorted. "She's acting like she always acts."

"No, this is different somehow," Dale said. "At least I know she's still been seeing Madame Brittle and Librarian Boulderdash on a regular basis, but whatever they've been saying isn't improving whatever this is. I wonder what will cheer her up?"

"Well, whatever you're planning, don't do it on her birthday," Bobby snorted. Dale blinked at him in surprise. "Well, you've heard her in the Owl Room lately, she's been threatening bodily injury every time anyone brings it up, even Lindsay, and she doesn't normally threaten her."

"She has been, hasn't she?" Dale said, suddenly thinking back at it in surprise.

"Yeah, you'd think it'd be a major crime to turn fifteen or something…"

"Fifteen! She's turning fifteen! How could I have been so stupid?"

"You really want me to answer that?" Bobby asked flatly.

"Don't you realize what that means?" Dale said.

"Yeah, it means you still have to wait a year…"

"No, you moron!" Dale said, slapping him in the arm and making Bobby wince in pain. "It means we have to throw her a party or something."

"What? We can't throw her a party, we're Ravenclaws. You know that sort of thing is always kept to houserooms," Bobby said.

"Then there's just going to have to be an exception made. Maybe the Professor will let us host a party in the Owl Room," Dale said. "Surely he'd make an exception for his own daughter."

"Not likely, I'd think that'd be more of a reason not to make an exception, really. Where are you off to? Aren't you going to eat?" Bobby complained when he got up.

"I'm going to track down the Professor. Don't worry, I won't be late for class," Dale said, getting up. Shaking his head at him, Bobby waved him off and went back to eating.

As it so happened, Severus was not all that far away. He had just stopped into the staff room to have a quick word with Sally and Anna and had paused to check his watch, turning down the hall towards the back stairs when he heard a student calling his name behind him and paused long enough for Dale to catch up.

"Yes?" Severus asked.

"Sir, I was wondering if it would be all right if the Owls threw a small party… if it's okay with Boulderdash as well, I mean," Dale began.

"I wasn't aware it was that sort of order, Mr. Chance," Severus said. Despite his serious expression, Dale got the curious impression he was joking.

"Well, actually, I mean for Lucky's birthday. She's turning fifteen and all, I thought perhaps we could do something special…"

"Mr. Chance, being a prefect, I'm sure you know the school policy on that as well as anyone. Celebrations of that sort of nature should be kept to the house rooms to avoid any distractions, disruptions, and feelings of exclusion and so forth…"

"But only a handful of Lucky's friends are Gryffindors, sir…"

"Yes, I understand that, Irwindale, but it is hardly as if you, Ambrose and the others can't spend time with her as you like on her birthday being that it's on a weekend, just no organized functions. There is no way I can possibly make an exception in Fortuna's case for obvious reasons, and I have enough to contend with concerning the board already. Besides, I'd rather wait until next year to bend the rules when her birthday actually falls on the right date," Severus added in a lower voice.

"But it has to be _this _year, sir…"

"Simply out of the question, Mr. Chance. Why don't you simply plan for the order to have football practice together or something that morning? Either way, I can assure you with as many siblings as she has it'll hardly go unnoticed," Severus said.

"Yes, Professor," Dale said with resignation, wandering back towards the Great Hall while Severus turned back towards to stairs towards Jennifer's office.

* * *

Jennifer glanced over her research notes thoughtfully as she tried to bring them up to date, but the more she thought about the Obol, the more her thoughts wandered on the problems at hand. Since the dragon incident, not only was Aurelius not speaking to her, he didn't seem to be interested in making much progress. Despite this, Jamie, Joanie and Alex were still doing everything they could to scrounge for any information that would help him, to no avail. Jennifer was quite sure, Obol or not, that there was very little she could do to help them on their quest, but she wasn't ready to give up on Merlin. After all, they knew where he was. All they really needed was a clever way to get him out…

Just then, there was a soft familiar knock on her office door and Jennifer looked up with a smile as Severus stepped in.

"Invading my morning conference, are we?" Jennifer asked with a grin. "However did you manage to convince the appointment book to do that?"

"I'm using 'dropping the interview and OWLS schedules off' as an excuse to get me away from that mess upstairs. After last night's Order of Merlin meeting, I could use an easy morning," Severus said.

"What a headache that was!" Jennifer agreed.

"Yes, there's nothing like a bunch of old wizards and hags arguing about 'what to do' about Excalibur when it's frankly none of their business," Severus muttered, pouring himself some coffee.

"Well, at least Eric and Vallid were both quick to jump in and tell them so as well… and helped us convince them that Aurelius being the second coming of Arthur is sheer nonsense," Jennifer said.

"I'm not certain we really convinced them all, Jennifer. The reality of it all seems too mundane compared to all those silly stories about the thing. Nobody wants to accept the fact it's merely a well-made sword with only a couple of strong but very basic charms woven into it. It is the history of the sword that truly makes it priceless, as warped as that history has become. It was a symbol of the ascension of man above the bestiality of the time, and the ultimate quest for improving ourselves and the world we live in, rather than supporting survival of the fittest. The most laughable part of this is the fact that all the sudden everyone in the country with any sort of divination background have decided they saw this 'coming' all along, despite the fact they were obviously just as surprised as everyone else that this happened," Severus said, shaking his head.

"The centaurs weren't surprised," Jennifer pointed out.

"The centaurs don't really seem surprised at anything Aurelius does, and never have been," Severus said. "In some ways, I think they accept his presence in the Dark Forest far more than they ever had Sagittari. And after all, this whole thing does seem to be tied up in wild magic, doesn't it?"

"It would seem to be, Severus," Jennifer agreed. "But isn't fate as well, in a way?"

"Now, don't start that," Severus said disapprovingly, sitting down and attempting to find a corner of the desk to set his cup down on despite the fact it was covered with papers. "Anyhow, what are you working on?"

"Actually, I was getting my notes on the Obol up to date," Jennifer admitted.

"Oh, were you?" Severus said with more interest, scooping up a few that seemed to be at the top of the scattered pile to look at. "Making progress?"

"Some," Jennifer said cautiously, sitting back down and making a play at straightening her desk.

"This bit is rather interesting…. 'Although many events as seen in the Obol seem to come about naturally through the inaction of the viewer, there are also situations where the Obol shows a positive outcome of a given situation which can only come about if the viewer takes certain action to make it come about,'" Severus read. "So what you are saying is that part of time the Obol shows you a future that will happen if you don't act, and the rest of the time it shows you something that you have to take action to make it come about?"

"That's right," Jennifer said.

"Rather intriguing… and a bit manipulative, isn't it? Although you could still always go against it if you had to, I suppose… where are your test results in this mess?" Severus asked, sifting through paper.

"Um… here are some," Jennifer offered, and Severus glanced at them momentarily before sighing with exasperation.

"No, the ones that back up this little observation of yours," he said.

"Well, it's more of a theory right now, really," Jennifer said quickly. Severus sighed again, knowing full well that Jennifer's expression was a lot more revealing than she was intending it to be at that moment.

"Do me a favor? Try finding time to run some experiments with the Obol that you actually _can_ document? Considering you are in charge of OWLS this year, you are quickly running out of time to get this on paper," Severus said, organizing the ones he had already in his hand.

"Running out of time?" Jennifer repeated uncertainly.

"You didn't think I would lend you that artifact indefinitely, did you? You have until the end of the year, Jennifer. I really don't feel comfortable with knowing the Obol is out of the building for more than short lengths of time, and I definitely don't want it out of the school for two months. What if it were to get lost? I think it's better for everyone concerned if I had it safely locked up before we go home for the summer holidays," Severus said firmly.

"Yes, but… only until the end of the year? Is that all?"

"That's over four months, Jennifer," Severus said. "And considering the progress you've made so far on the thing, it is more than enough time to come up with an article on free will versus statistical divination, don't you? Besides, once you've finished your notes and collecting your data, I'm certain we can work out some sort of arrangement as far as organizing and fine tuning it."

Distracted by the idea of having so little time and so many things she had wanted to use it for, it took Jennifer an extra few seconds for that last statement to register. Severus simply waited, although he was studying her carefully.

"Would that be a professional arrangement, Professor?" she asked innocently.

"Rather it's more a personal arrangement to compensate for certain professional services rendered," Severus said in a quiet tone.

"Ah, ah, ah, you're mixing personal and professional again, I thought we weren't supposed to do that," Jennifer said flirtatiously, waggling a finger at him.

"Yes well… do you recall what happened when we were both teaching and decided to start marking papers together every evening to conserve our spare time?"

"Yes, with great fondness," Jennifer said lovingly.

"Then you can simply consider this an extension of the same," he suggested.

"I rather think I like that idea," Jennifer decided.

"As do I," Severus murmured back, and she suddenly discovered a stack of papers in her hand. "So perhaps you better start working for it."

"What?" Jennifer blinked, watching as he finished his coffee and strode towards the door. "Well, I like that! Turning professional on me again at the last moment!"

"I am allowed to win some too, you know. Hermione said so," Severus said expressionlessly, and sneering as he turned and walked out the door.

"He would put me on a time schedule now!" Jennifer said out loud, glancing up at Severus' portrait to find it empty again. The portrait had been spending a great deal of his time with the Jennifer portrait lately, and hadn't been much help to her at all. "I can't just leave things this way… what a mess!" she exclaimed, making sure the door was locked before pulling out the chain around her neck and taking out the Obol.

"Is there a way to get Merlin out of the tree before the beginning of summer?" she asked, flipping the coin, watching as it landed on the Oracle. "Fantastic," she said, then picked it up, rubbing it thoughtfully with her thumb. "Is there a way to get him out before the beginning of spring?" she asked daringly, and the Oracle showed again. "Really? How about before the end of the month?" she asked in surprise, and once again, the Obol gave her a positive answer. "End of the week?" she asked, and that time, the coin showed Charon. Jennifer chuckled to herself. "Well, I suppose I was rather pushing it. So there is a way to get him out, and soon, apparently, but not a way to get him out without Viviane knowing about it…. oh wait a minute…" Jennifer frowned, looking at the coin again.

"Does Viviane do something that causes Merlin to get out?" she asked, and the coin spun in the air again, still showing no vision as it came up Oracle. "But that means she would have done something to Ambrose!" she exclaimed worriedly. "But why would she? Why would she have reason? I can't think of any really, since she's got Merlin under roots…" but then Jennifer paused, thinking about it. "Oh no. There can be only one explanation! And the only way it could possibly happen is if I had something to do with it in some way. Explain to me just how I'm supposed to do that without getting sacked? Honestly, Severus wouldn't have a choice, would he? Goodness, I'm talking to an inanimate object again!" she said with exasperation, picking up the coin and putting it back in the box but then found herself staring at it. "I suppose the real question is what it always has been," Jennifer murmured. "Do I really have a choice in the matter?"

* * *

Fortunately for Jennifer, Severus didn't seem to notice her anxiety that evening past offering her some of the tea that Sagittari had recommended to him to ease his stress. He didn't even comment when she took up pacing; for he had been doing a fair share of his own lately. Instead, he buried himself in his work and his classes, despite the fact that his eyes often flicked over at his ring finger as he worked and he found himself fingering the watch in his pocket any time he had to pause to speak to someone in the halls. But it wasn't long before something happened that distracted him completely, for it was only a couple days later when Hermione came in with papers in hand.

"We need to talk," Hermione said. "On an advisor-to-parent level," she added, Severus looking up at her questioningly. "You see, Lucky's marks have been falling rather steadily in my class of late."

"Oh?" Severus frowned. "New material?"

"Well, yes, but nothing she couldn't normally handle, really. I got the impression from her behavior in class that she simply was distracted and not paying attention to the lectures. Her homework is normally a lot clearer as well, honestly," Hermione explained. "Anyhow, I thought it rather odd, so I had Demura quote me her current average, and it would appear that her marks have been lower in all her classes since we've gotten back, including her Arithmantics courses. Did anything happen over the holiday that would have caused her that sort of distraction?"

"Not that I'm aware of short of the wedding, not that affected her directly… Armando, have Jennifer and Danyelle both come up to my office," Severus sighed, the painting simply nodding in response. "Perhaps I should have been paying more attention," he murmured under his breath.

"Seems to me that you've had your hands full lately already," Hermione said.

"Yes, well, all the same, it's hardly an excuse as rough of a year as she has been having," Severus said.

"She's not the only one having a rough year," Hermione said knowingly, and Severus simply nodded to her in agreement before opening the drawer and pulling out the knob, looking up at the door expectantly until first Danny and then Jennifer stepped inside.

"Hermione was just expressing concerns to me that Fortuna's marks have been taking a dramatic turn," Severus said, glancing at Jennifer.

"Then it isn't just my class?" Jennifer said, glancing at Hermione in confirmation. "I admit she has been slipping as far as homework and tests are concerned, although I've noticed that her lab work is about the same that it always has been, not that it's ever been great."

"Has anything unusual been coming up with your conversations with her, Danyelle?" Severus asked.

"Nothing unexpected," Danny said evenly.

"Are you sure? Nothing that would cause a dramatic change in her marks?" Hermione said.

"I hope that's not your way of asking me to betray student confidentiality, Hermione, because there are certain things I just won't do," Danny said firmly. "You know as well as I do that Lucky goes through these bouts from time to time."

"Yes, but they don't normally affect her marks like this. She seems genuinely distracted," Hermione insisted.

"Yes, well, I'll admit to the fact that she has been distracted lately," Danny said expressionlessly.

"Opinion, Jennifer? If she's been distracted in your classroom, surely you've picked up something," Severus said.

"Well, she does spend a lot of time thinking about her birthday, actually," Jennifer admitted. "She doesn't want it to come, for some reason."

"What? This is more than normal birthday stress, Jennifer," Hermione said, shaking her head. "Yes, that can cause a drop in marks, to be sure, but this is a very dramatic difference, at least it is in my class. There has to be more to it than just that."

Severus squinted.

"Why is it that I suddenly get the impression that Mr. Chance knows something about this situation that we don't?" Severus asked, despite the fact that he wasn't expecting them to answer.

* * *

Excitement was buzzing in the Great Hall that Friday morning when Lucky came down to breakfast, zoning out from lack of caffeine as she stared glumly at her juice, wondering what her chances were of sneaking in the staff room again for some coffee.

"Lucky! Hey, did you see the bulletin boards this morning?" Gary said excitedly, sitting down beside Connie. "They've decided to throw in a bonus trip to Hogsmeade on Sunday! Doesn't that beat all?"

"Ya great, have fun," Lucky said, waving him off.

"What? You're not going?" Gary frowned.

"My brother-in-law invited me to go to church with him this weekend," Lucky shrugged.

"Church? Can't you just tell him something's come up?" Gary said.

"No, I wanna go," Lucky said. Gary stared at her. "Look, I don't get to go that often, okay? You an' Connie just have fun."

"You'd rather go to church than go to Hogsmeade?" Gary said in surprise. Lucky squinted at him.

"You wanna make something of it?" Lucky asked dangerously.

"Just surprised, is all! It just doesn't seem like you, and to be perfectly frank, I thought maybe this was something the Professor was rigging for your birthday when I first heard about it," Gary said. "Ow! Hey, you didn't have to kick me!"

"I didn't kick you, but I'm gonna give ya a black eye if you keep on me," Lucky snapped. "I told ya before to forget about it, okay? I'm going to church!"

"Fine, but I still think you're crazy," Gary said, getting up. "I'm going to go over to the Ravenclaw table to see if I can't bum some money off my brother for this weekend."

"Probably a good idea," Connie agreed.

As Gary got up, he couldn't help but notice the constant sniggering at the Slytherin table. The part of it that bothered him the most was the fact that all of them were doing it rather just a small group of them as was quite common, and for some reason, Don happened to be at the center of it, sitting beside the prefect, while Dirk, the only Owl at the table, sat on the other side, listening intently to the conversation at hand and not really paying attention to anything else. Well, he could always get what they were plotting out of one of the girls later, Gary decided, shrugging it off and wandering over to the Ravenclaw table where Dale and Bobby were sitting at the far end, also watching the Slytherin table suspiciously.

"Well, I want to know why they keep looking over here," Bobby said.

"To be fair, Bobby, we do keep looking over at them as well," Dale said.

"All the same, it does seem to be aimed at us, doesn't it?" Bobby said, sniffing his breakfast experimentally. "Hey Gary, wanna bite?" Bobby asked brightly.

"No thanks, I'll get my own," Gary said. "Can I borrow a few sickles for this weekend?"

"What? Why don't you write Mum?" Bobby chuckled. "Here, just one bite."

"Because she always wants to know about my marks first and somehow she always knows when I'm lying," Gary complained. "I know, why don't you write her and share the wealth. It isn't my fault you're smarter than me."

"True, but flattery will get you nowhere," Bobby said distractedly. "Hullo, here comes Beth and Ronnie, and Beth looks mad enough to blow craters."

"She does look quite upset," Dale agreed.

"Well then, you're the prefect, go over there and find out what's going on," Bobby said, giving him a little nudge.

"Fine. But you're coming with me," Dale insisted, giving up.

"If you don't let me borrow at least five sickles, I'm telling Mum you used the 'C' word," Gary threatened. "She may not believe me when I tell her about my marks, but she _will_ believe me if I tell her you were cussing again." Grimacing, Bobby fished out some sickles and handed them to his eager brother before following Dale over to the table.

"Honestly, Beth, what would I need your silly doll for?" Don was saying as the others around him grinned at each other knowingly.

"I don't know, but I know it was you, so I want it back, Don!" Beth said.

"What is going on?" Dale asked as they stepped over to her.

"Speaking of which," Don smirked.

"Don got his stupid lizard to sneak in my room and take my holiday edition Duffy Dakota doll," Beth complained, Dale moaning softly to himself. "And it had better not be out of the box, either!"

"Do you have any proof, Beth?" Dale asked calmly.

"No, but I know he did it!" Beth glowered.

"Chance, do you mind? I have it under control, it's time that you report back to your own side of the room," Schroeder said, waving him away.

"From what I've seen, you haven't been doing anything over here except sitting around and jeering at us for some odd reason," Dale said bluntly.

"Actually, I've been quite busy taking bets," Schroeder said with an even smile. "We've been waiting to see just how long it was going to take you to look up."

Dale frowned at them uncertainly, then glanced over at Bobby, who was already staring upwards and looking completely stunned.

"Oh, God, Dale, don't look up," Bobby warned him.

But the warning was so genuine that Dale immediately felt compelled to do so, screaming out in horror when he looked up to see well over a hundred Dale Loves Duffy dolls floating near the ceiling all stripped of their clothing and dangling in various positions from normal to upside down to bent in painful-looking directions. And in the very center of the room, a lone Duffy Dakota doll had also been stripped to her painted-on underwear and stuck in an extremely lewd position with one of the Dale dolls.

Everyone sitting at the Slytherin table burst into a roar of laughter, while Beth furiously started yelling about her doll being out of the box. The rest of the room began wondering what was going on and presently looked up as well. Dale was stiffly aware of Reggie, Connie and Gary all joining in to tackle Lucky to the ground to keep her from getting involved, while the majority of the students who looked up broke into laughter as well.

"Why, you slimy little prick!" Bobby said. Dale had been too busy clenching his fists to keep from shaking and contemplating on how to leave the room with what little dignity he had left to truly notice exactly when Bobby went charging over to the table.

"If you are trying to accuse Don of something other than borrowing his sister's doll, March, you're way out of line. It was actually Atchinson here that managed to pull it off," Schroeder said, and Dirk stared at Schroeder with a look of pure shock, his face turning pasty at the mention of his name.

"If he did, then you were the mastermind behind it, because everyone knows Dirk doesn't do anything these days unless you ordered it," Bobby said.

"Yes, what of it?" Schroeder asked calmly.

But Bobby was anything but calm, and before anyone could give even a shout of warning, he whipped out his wand and blasted him backwards off his seat. Chaos broke out as Schroeder scrambled to his feet and got his own wand, and all sorts of nasty spells began to burst out of their wands, causing the other students to scramble back. But before the battle got completely out of hand, a sudden powerful force like a large invisible hand smacked them both backwards away from each other, and the two of them soon found themselves floating in the air upside down just above where they were fighting.

Carnegie quickly stepped out of the crowd, scooped up their wands and advised everyone to step away as Professor Snape and Weasley approached from the back of the Great Hall, Snape still holding a wand in his hand.

"Just what sort of insanity is this?" Severus snapped, staring between them and frowning at their reddening faces. "Who started it?"

"He knocked me out of my seat, Professor!" Schroeder complained.

"Yeah. He's an ass," Bobby said.

"Regardless of your personal opinion of him, Mr. March, there is no excuse for starting a fight in the middle of the Great Hall," Severus said sternly.

"Then I admit I did it willingly. But he still deserved it!" Bobby said.

"Um… Headmaster?" Hermione said, before Severus could begin lecturing him again. "You might want to look up a bit higher," she suggested. Raising an eyebrow at her, Severus looked up and stared at the floating dolls for a long time, the two boys falling to the floor as he lost his concentration.

"Good lord, it's like having Potter here all over again," Severus murmured. "Professor Weasley, I want these two sent to my office. I want anyone involved in this 'artistic' display of personal sabotage to face stiff point losses. And Mr. Carnegie, I want these dolls out of the Great Hall at once. Come to think of it, I want them out of my school at once. If anyone has the audacity to claim any one of them as his or her own, have it sent home, otherwise get rid of them in any way you see fit. And for the record, I am officially banning any doll made to resemble a student of this school on property… for being a school disruption if for no other reason!"

"But what about my Duffy doll?" Beth interrupted, still obviously upset. "She's not a student here!"  
"A frightening thought if I ever heard one," Severus said. "Let her have it back, Mr. Carnegie, I believe that one has been tortured enough as it is. But I do not want to see one more Chance doll in this school, this year or any year."

"Yes, Professor," John said with a sigh, obviously not looking forward to putting the ceiling back in order.

"And just where is Chance, anyhow?" Severus asked, looking around.

"He slipped out just after Mr. Carnegie broke up the fight, Professor," Veronica offered.

"How lucky for him," Severus said dryly, and then went upstairs to deal with the two duelists.

Jennifer shook her head when she heard what happened that evening as they ate in the study, having a very hard time of keeping a straight face.

"I suppose neither of them is going to Hogsmeade this weekend then?" she said.

"I should think not," Severus said, still more than a little irritated about the whole thing. "They'll both be far too busy in detention, and if I have my way it'll be an all day affair. Slytherin as a whole will be suffering on points, since I know perfectly well that must have been a group effort to gather all of those dolls and hang them up."

"It's a good thing Dale kept his cool. I'd hate for him to have missed this trip," Jennifer said. "I rather think Lucky would want him there."

"Bite your tongue, she wants nothing of the sort," Severus scoffed. "You know perfectly well she wants nothing to do with him."

"You hope," Jennifer said with a knowing smile, wrapping her arms around him. "Fifteen already, when it seems like only yesterday she was plopping down beside you at Kingler's Café, is that it?"

"And with a plate of pancakes to feed an army and the most horrendous clothing I had ever seen in my life," Severus said, Jennifer chuckling softly at him. "Not to mention that brilliant, devious mind of hers and an attitude fit for a bulldog, or perhaps a contender; Fortuna versus the world."

"Well, that is how she saw things," Jennifer said. "But I think she's finally starting to realize that it doesn't have to be that way."

"And what of you, Jennifer?" Severus murmured.

"Me?" Jennifer said, blinking in surprise, as Severus turned and pulled her onto his lap.

"Yes, you," Severus said evenly. "Do you still see things as Jennifer against the world?"

"Have I ever seen things that way?" Jennifer said, blinking.

"Yes, it was obvious since the day I met you," Severus said. "It happens to this day, although it sometimes lapses for weeks, perhaps months or even a year at a time. Something always happens to bring out that little girl who lost everything she knew in a single evening, and wants nothing more than to fix everything going wrong around her yet too terrified of losing what little she has left to ask for help."

"Is there a point, Severus?" Jennifer asked bluntly, her gaze serious and her voice suddenly taking on a defensive tone.

"Only that I was curious whether or not you still felt that way," Severus said gently.

"Perhaps," Jennifer said briskly, getting up. "Now and then. Is it all that surprising, really?" she challenged him.

"No, not really," Severus said evenly, straightening his desk before getting up himself. "But considering it was one of the qualities about you that attracted me to begin with, I'm hardly in a position to complain about it, am I? Your defiance… your spirit… and that unmistakable Craw temper of yours that strikes without hesitation and levels everything in its path. It was accentuated, of course, by your stunning looks and that lingering naivety of yours, which left me absolutely no choice whatsoever but to fall madly in love with you. If I hadn't wanted it, it wouldn't have mattered… come to think of it, considering what was going on at the time, I would have had every reason in the world to decide against it. Thank God that I didn't."

"Severus," Jennifer murmured, turning towards the curtain in attempt to escape the look in his eyes. "I would very much rather feel that you had some choice in the matter."

"And so I have now," Severus murmured back, stepping up right behind her. "Given to me by the only person who could have given it, and with a strength of love I did not deserve. And if by chance there does happen to be within you some lingering fears that I might renounce such a gift, they are quite misplaced, for I am nothing if not yours. I chose to return, and the decision is absolute. I don't want a day to go by without you in my life, and I plan to die by your side rather than face a moment without your presence. And when that day comes, if you try to ascend without me, expect me to hold on for all its worth so that I might join you, for the only true hell would be to face an eternity without you."

"Well… what if I am the one going to hell?" Jennifer asked, her voice barely above a whisper and sounding raspy and serious in her ears despite her shaky attempt at levity.

"You? Never," Severus whispered resolutely. "How can you possibly, when you've been nothing but my salvation from the very start? Craw or not, dark witch or not, you are my guardian angel."

"Then I suppose I'll just have to find some way to hang on to you," Jennifer decided softly, trying to clear her blurry eyes. "Because I really don't think I could bear an eternity without you either, let alone a lifetime."

Severus lifted up her chin until her eyes finally met his, watching as her misty eyes turned sharp but her expression distant as she attempted to read the swirl of memories and emotions behind his gaze. After a moment of watching her expressions and admiring the rush of color in her lips and cheeks, Severus leaned over and kissed her, gently at first but more passionately as he became encouraged by her reaction. Abruptly he lifted his head, futilely attempting to ignore Jennifer's soft whine of complaint and pouting protest as he momentarily pulled himself together.

"Um… Armando, cancel all my appointments for tomorrow and don't let anyone in unless it's an emergency, will you?" Severus said, having an even more difficult time ignoring the barrage of soft kisses under his chin than he had been her pouting.

"And which excuse to you want meet to use this time, Severus?" Armando said with an exasperated sigh.

"Um…" Severus said again, gently trying to back Jennifer off a bit despite the fact he didn't want to do anything of the sort. "Just tell them I'm indisposed."

"And if they insist?" Armando inquired, pretending that Jennifer wasn't even in the room.

"Well, then, damn it all, tell them the truth, if you like! It isn't as if they ever bought any of my other excuses for this sort of occasion, is it?" Severus said, before drawing Jennifer up into his arms, ignoring her laughing protests as he carried her into the back.


	36. Making Exceptions, Taking Exceptions

Chapter Thirty-Six

Making Exceptions, Taking Exceptions

Ambrose was sleeping restlessly when something stirred him awake, and he felt as if something was calling to him despite the fact that when he opened his eyes, he saw nothing but his roommates, fast asleep. He felt a chill breeze and looked blearily up at the window, swiveled inward as if an owl had pushed it open, a soft snow blowing in. Reluctantly, he got up to close it, but as he stumbled to the window, he tripped over a large bundle. Reaching down in the darkness, he felt a small leather pouch on a long cord, and what appeared to be a bundled up cloak. He called up a wisplight and inspected it, a bit surprised to find his name on it as he shuffled back over to his bed. Carefully, he pulled out a rolled note and read it, somehow managing to read it over twice before it disintegrated in his hand. He put the cord around his neck then, feeling the pouch in his hand a moment before opening it to see the top of an ornate key.

* * *

It took several well-placed kisses for Severus to finally untangle himself and slip away, gently covering Jennifer back up and making certain there was a window open before slipping into the bathroom for a quick shower, tossing on a robe so he could go in the office and check some things before they started getting ready for the day in Hogsmeade. He couldn't help but be a bit surprised to see Aurelius in one of the chairs with his feet propped up on a stool, gazing fixedly at him.

"And just what are you doing here?" Severus asked, genuinely curious, despite the tone in his voice.

"Waiting for you to emerge, obviously, since I knew you would have to come in here sooner or later," Aurelius said calmly.

"I'm sorry, Severus, but I'm afraid he didn't believe me," Armando said somberly.

"Why? What exactly have you been telling them?" Severus asked.

"He told me you went skin diving," Aurelius said flatly. Severus thought about it for a moment.

"Yes, so I did," he said at last. "As did your mother."

"Obviously," Aurelius snorted in disgust.

"Nice turn of phrase, that, Armando," Severus said, looking quite relaxed as he sat down at his desk.

"Thank you, sir," Armando said with obvious amusement. Aurelius simply stared at his father, not in the least bit impressed.

"What was it you needed, Aurelius?" Severus asked.

"I came to let you know that the girls and I are planning to head down to Galloway later today," Aurelius said. "Joanie thinks she found a possible lead, an old family there that boasts lineage to Morgan's son, Owain. I'm going to go help eyeball them while the others do a bit of wandering about… supposedly, there's a church with an interesting catacombs in the area that's supposed to have Neolithic markings in the lower portions."

"Sounds promising," Severus ventured.

"That probably means it won't be," Aurelius said with a sigh.

"And what should I tell Fortuna?" Severus asked.

"We'll drop by there before we go," Aurelius said. "I assume the plan hasn't changed, right? Everything ready?"

"More ready than she is, I imagine," Severus said with a nod.

* * *

Lucky woke up early and let out a sigh, staring at the beams of light just peeking in the window just above her bed. Petting Houdini gently before pushing his butt off her shoulder, she slipped out of bed to pull out a dress to wear to church (not that there was much of a choice, since she had few appropriate dresses) and then paused, frowning at the bottom of her closet a moment as she noticed a pair of snow-white flats that she had never seen before.

"'Ey Connie…. Yo! Connie!" Lucky shouted, and Connie rolled over with a moan. "Are these your slippers?"

"Wha? Urph, my shoes are under my bed," Connie murmured, still half asleep.

"Then where did these come from?"

"I dunno. Shoe Elves, I guess. Go back to sleep," Connie advised, then started to snore.

"There are Shoe Elves?" Lucky asked seriously, but then shrugged it off, and on a whim tried them on to find they fit perfectly.

It was an easy decision to wear them rather than try to search through the disorganized mess in the bottom of the closet for her normal dress shoes, especially since they fit so well. She glanced at the two dresses, one black one white, and instantly went for the white, more to match her shoes rather than any other significance. After all, no one else was likely to understand the real reason she wanted to go to church today… she sighed softly and tried not to think about it as she shuffled off for a shower and to get ready to go. When she finally got back, Connie even seemed to be moving; at least she had a foot on the floor.

"You'd better get goin' if you plan to go to Hogsmeade today," Lucky reminded her, and Connie blinked.

"Good point, I guess I should," Connie said, finally sitting up with a yawn. "You want me to pick anything up for you?"

"Nah, you just have fun," Lucky said, folding some paper money in her wrist purse before checking the time and walking out of the castle to see Francis standing in the courtyard talking to Jennifer.

"There you are, Lucky! Happy Birthday! Goodness, you got ready on your own without a fight? That's never happened before," Jennifer teased lightly.

"Well, she is a young woman, now, after all," Francis chided her. "Jennifer was just showing me were the fountain is going to go, and I hear you had a large part to do with it?"

"I just organized some of the fund raising," Lucky shrugged.

"And a splendid job she's done, too. All they need to do is a bit of letter writing for a few more contributions and they'll have it," Jennifer said.

"Very impressive," Francis agreed. "But we really must be going."

"All right, I'll suppose I'll just have to wait to give out presents until later then," Jennifer said with a wink.

"I should think so!" Francis chuckled, offering Lucky and arm. "Come along, Lucky! We're going to take a bit of a shortcut," he said with a wink as they stepped out the gate. Lucky could have guessed what he meant by that even if she hadn't seen the chalk drawing sketched on the brick.

It had been almost a year since the last time Lucky had gotten to go to church, and she was unsurprised to see there was a new priest, a younger man named Father Laurie, who took over for O'Malley. Once during the sermon he seemed to look directly at them, smiling warmly at her before continuing. It was a rather small church, but quite traditional in look and feel which suited Francis perfectly, although Lucky couldn't help but be a bit glad of having a new voice on the podium, for O'Malley was much stiffer and more solemn that sometimes made her wonder if her new family didn't have the right idea in staying away from it all.

As they were waiting their turn to leave (Francis' pew was quite far towards the back,) it became increasingly obvious that Laurie seemed anxious to speak with them, but Francis waited until the very end until he at last took his hand.

"I see your pew isn't quite empty for a change, Francis, but I think I'm right in guessing this is not Alicia," he said mischievously.

"Oh, no, but don't worry, she'll be at the christening next week for certain, Father. That is something Alicia definitely will not be able to talk herself out of," Francis said, Laurie laughing at that.

"I'm so glad to hear it, it will be nice to meet her at last," Laurie smiled. "And your guest?"

"This is my youngest sister, Fortuna, originally from America. She's come with me before on occasion, actually, but she especially wanted to come today, since it is her _Quinceaños_," Francis said. Lucky did a double take and stared at him in surprise.

"Is it? Why, Francis! Why didn't you mention it when we set up your son's christening! I could have had something planned for her!" Father scolded him.

"Actually, I didn't realize it until after I had already planned it," Francis admitted reluctantly.

"It's okay, I'm just happy I came," Lucky shrugged.

"And I am very glad that you are happy that you came. That shows a great deal of responsibility and respect for your spirituality. Wait here just a moment," Laurie said, smiling at her, but when he looked up at Francis his tsked very audibly in apparent disapproval as he turned and walked towards the back.

"So…" Lucky began, but then paused uncomfortably when Francis glanced back over at her. "Nobody else knows about that, right?"

"You don't want them to know?" Francis asked.

"I just… I don't wanna be… well, I'm a Snape, now," Lucky said.

"No doubt about that," Francis agreed. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well it's… it's not their heritage, you know, I mean… well, it's not a family tradition, so I shouldn't expect it," Lucky said.

"Well, christenings aren't exactly in their 'family traditions' either, but I guarantee you they'll go to Michael's… yes, even Severus," Francis said with amusement. "Just like they both went to a protestant church with Corey several times when he was growing up. They probably would have come today if you had asked them."

"No, that'd be more than I could take," Lucky said, shaking her head in protest so fervently that Francis chuckled again. "So could you not mention it?"

"Lucky, just because you're a Snape doesn't mean you're any less you," Francis said gently. "Tell me truthfully, Lucky, before you were a Snape, perhaps when you were a lot younger, did you ever dream of the day you turned fifteen?"

"Well, yeah, of course I did, but I was a kid then," Lucky shrugged. "There were also a lot of times when I wasn't so sure that I would make it to fifteen at all," she admitted, Francis' gaze turning somber. "And times I really didn't wanna to live that long, either."

"But that's different now?" Francis said.

"Well, yeah, of course it's different now, that's exactly what I mean. I got a new life, new family, new ambitions, and new Predators. What more could a girl want?" Lucky shrugged.

"Yes, let's not forget the shoes," Francis said with amusement. "But really, aren't those a lot of good reasons to celebrate?"

"Yeah, I guess, but I don't want anyone goin' out of the way for it," Lucky said.

"Oh, it's too late for that," Francis said, Lucky squinting at him suspiciously. "Really, Lucky, you don't think your father would just declare a Hogsmeade trip 'on a whim' on a day which also happens to be your birthday, do you? Have you ever been to an event that your father has organized? My wedding, for example?"

"Aw no! He's already going overboard, ain't he?" Lucky said in realization.

"More than likely," Francis said amusedly, and then looked up as Father Laurie came back.

"These are for you, Fortuna," he smiled, handing her a white rosary and a new white bible with several silky white ribbons inside. "I marked some passages for you, as you can see. You should coax Francis to bring you around more often now that you're a young woman."

"Thank you," Fortuna said with a weak grin.

"She goes to Hogwarts, Father, but I will try to bring her as often as I can," Francis promised.

"He knows about that too, eh?" Fortuna said, eyeing the priest thoughtfully.

"I have to confess to someone, don't I?" Francis pointed out.

"Yes, and because of Francis, I am beginning to understand why so many distilleries began in our monasteries," Laurie joked, the two of them grinning and saying goodbye before stepping into the entry and then keying back to the studio.

* * *

Alicia already had Michael dressed and was waiting for them when they arrived.

"About time! I thought church got out half an hour ago!" she scolded him with exasperation.

"We stayed to have a few words with the father…"

"Never mind that, everyone's waiting! Here, Lucky, change into this!" Alicia insisted, throwing her a white ball gown with sparkling tear drop crystals that moved down the pleats in the dress like rain on a sunny day. "Oh, and here's your jewelry, and this tiara… really, stop staring and get ready!"

Lucky suddenly felt as if she were in a whirl (especially when Alicia came back in with exasperation to help her charm her thick hair up and around the tiara) before finally finding herself being pulled into a painting and back out through one of Charles the Third's dragon drawings on the Willowby ice box.

"Oh, Lucky! There you are!" Jennifer said brightly, getting up from where she and Minerva were having tea. As Minerva fussed over the dress, Jennifer grabbed a pair of white heels off from on top of one of the cupboards. "I think to be safe let's just have you take those flats off now and I'll put these at the bottom of the stairs?"

"Bottom of the stairs?" Lucky echoed.

"Yes, well, it got much too crowded up here, so we had to move the party to the basement," Jennifer explained.

"Too crowded? Hey, who all's down there?" Lucky shouted when Jennifer began to walk out of the room.

"There is only one good way to find out," Minerva said with a smile.

"Yes and… do try to act like a lady for a change!" Jennifer said. "What's the point of getting dressed up like a princess if you can't pretend to be like one for awhile? Or a couple hours… perhaps one… how about thirty minutes, can you do thirty minutes?"

"Jennifer, calm down," Minerva laughed. "Goodness, she is excited enough for both of you," Minerva said with a smile when she saw Lucky's pallid face and knew there was a pit in her stomach just by the way she was standing. "Although, I must say, I think Severus looks even more nervous than either of you."

"I am nothing of the sort," Severus said irritably. Lucky blinked at surprise, having never heard him even come in the room. But everyone else quickly cleared out, and Severus paused to make sure everyone was down stairs before finally turning to her. "Shall I walk you down, or do you just want me to walk ahead of you?" Severus asked.

"Ya," said Lucky. Severus squinted.

"Which?" Severus prompted, and somehow Lucky managed to talk herself into taking his arm, despite the fact that she barely seemed to feel the steps beneath her feet despite the fact their steps sounded very loud in the eerily quiet basement. But as she stepped down and into the shoes Jennifer had put at the bottom, a roar of cheers went out, and Lucky saw not only all the Owls (except poor Bobby), but all her brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, as well as Librarian Boulderdash, Madame Brittle and her husband, and the Brims. Lucky couldn't help but to groan and grin at the same time when she saw their band equipment out.

"You do know how to dance, I hope," Severus muttered as if it were an afterthought.

"Ya," Lucky said again, stiffly letting him lead her in a waltz.

"And do you know any other words other than that?" he asked with exasperation. Lucky thought about it.

"No," she said, but then grinned.

Severus shook his head at her, but was quite conscientious about just how uncomfortable she was, and after a couple of darting glances led her over to where the main group of students where hanging out and then stopped short in front of Dale, earning a suspicious look from Lucky.

"Mr. Chance," Severus said evenly.

"Professor," Dale said, nodding cordially.

"My daughter, Fortuna, I believe you've met," Severus said, casually, Dale grinned and offered her his hand, not put off in the slightest by the fierce look in her eyes that threatened bodily injury if he did just that. "My daughter is a _quinceñera_ now, she is finally fifteen, and old enough to be treated like a lady. Yes, well, it might surprise you to know that fifteen has always been dating age in my household, but even though I must acknowledge the fact to myself and everyone here that my daughter is fifteen whether I am ready for it or not, I want you personally to understand that she is _only_ fifteen, and as such, I reserve the right to pop up at random and extremely inconvenient times to check in on her… at least for another year or two." Behind them, Jennifer was having a very hard time trying to keep a straight face.

"Um. Yes, sir, I understand," Dale said solemnly, a bit leery of the unnerving gaze that Severus gave him when he finally stepped away. Dale was somewhat surprised that he managed to retain a hold on Lucky's hand in the process.

"Fine, but no waltzes," Lucky said when they got far enough away from Severus that Dale was paying attention to her again.

"You heard the lady… how about some tempo?" Dale said with a grin. And Corey grinned back and turned to the others to suggest something livelier. Jennifer winced a bit and walked over to Severus' side with a smile, content to watch as the rest of them started to dance.

Soon Aurelius stepped in to dance with Lucky, and then Alex went over to have a few words with her as well until Ambrose pushed his way through for his turn.

"Milk?" Janus asked, when his mother worked his way over.

"No, Mummy has to leave again," Alex sighed.

"Is that child _still_ not talking yet?" Thomas said with a scowl, ignoring the gentle nudge that Fleur gave him.

"Actually, he knows three words now," Ben said cheerfully. "This week he learned the word, 'mine.'"

"Did he?" Thomas said with renewed interest. "Why, that was _my_ first word, and Maurice's first word as well! Come, let me take a better look at him."

"Why am I not surprised," Jennifer murmured. Standing beside her, Albus chuckled softly.

"There is always going to be the occasional black sheep, Jennifer, especially in a strong willed family like yours," Albus winked. "I'd expect no less. Besides, it rather spices things up a bit, and it helps keep Severus on his toes."

"I hardly need help," Severus protested dryly. "In fact, I've been on them for so long I don't think I know any other position."

"Some things never change," Albus chuckled.

"Don't let him fool you, Albus, he's actually changed quite a bit," Jennifer said, putting a hand around his arm lovingly.

"And so has Jennifer," Albus smiled. "And although Minerva has told me a lot, I have seen very little of you on my unintentionally extended visit. Even though Severus has been visiting me quite regularly, you haven't come by once."

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I've just been so busy!" Jennifer said, sounding sincerely apologetic.

"Busier than Severus?" Albus asked with a curious smile.

"Jennifer has been working on a research project lately studying divination in magic items," Severus explained casually. "She has gotten rather caught up in it, I believe."

"I suppose that's really no excuse, but don't worry, we have plenty of opportunities before the two of you head home in a few months. Perhaps we can set up tea sometime soon?" Jennifer said distractedly, glancing around for some reason.

"That would be splendid, Jennifer," Albus smiled. "Perhaps tomorrow?"

"I doubt anyone is going to have time to talk tomorrow," Jennifer said. "Excuse me just one moment," Jennifer said, wandering over to where Andrew stood with a lovely blonde-haired girl that Severus hadn't remembered seeing before.

"Well, I must say, Jennifer does seem to be doing better, doesn't she?" Albus said when he noticed Severus' gaze following her with a frown. "Or is she?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, in some ways she is doing better," Severus murmured in a low voice.

"Yes, well, you don't seem to be," Albus said, lowering his voice as well.

"I'd be a lot better if I didn't have this constant nagging feeling that I am making the biggest mistake of my life," Severus muttered.

"No, I believe that was last year," Albus said quietly. Severus blanched but forced himself to recover, and just in time as Natalie, Hope and Charles had all launched themselves in his direction to try to get him to settle a dispute they were having.

Hardly anyone noticed exactly when Ambrose slipped up the stairs, using the bathroom as an excuse to sneak away, and it was nearly a full two hours later as everyone gathered so Lucky could open her presents that Severus missed his presence, reaching for his watch only to find nothing but an empty pocket.

* * *

_Ambrose; _

_Your father is being held prisoner within an oak tree on a cliff above Viviane's lake. You are the only one who can save him, but your path does not go without protection. Take with you this Chest Cloak, the Crooked Wand you found by the lake, and whatever familiars might want to accompany you, along with a pack you will find waiting in your mother's home after your appearance at Lucky's party. You have also been lent this school key which must not be used except if you are in extreme danger, for it is unlikely that you will have another opportunity to attempt a rescue should you be seen at the school gates. When you have accomplished your mission, return the key discreetly to Professor Weasley's office; your familiar will be the safest way. And know that even though we may not be able to support you publicly, you have many allies on this mission. Good Luck._

Everyone was having much too good of a time to notice exactly when Ambrose slipped away and ran home, finding just as promised a pack waiting for him on the kitchen table. Encouraged by the obvious indication that his mother knew about the attempt, Ambrose threw on the cloak, slung on the backpack, and stepped out the back door, whistling for his familiar. A moment later, Halcyon, who had been perched on the kitchen windowsill, came down, trilling at him curiously.

"I almost forgot that Mum was looking after you for Mr. Toby," Ambrose said, gently petting the bird when it landed on its shoulder. "I was actually whistling for Archimedes. We're going flying… a long flight, though. Do you want to come too?" he asked, and the bird stretched his wings and looked at him expectantly. A moment later, he heard the unmistakable hoot of the wooden owl. "Yes, I think I'm ready, Archimedes. Let's go before anyone sees us out here," Ambrose decided. In an instant, Ambrose willing himself into falcon form, hovering a moment to get used to his wings again, wondering which way was south. But fortunately, Archimedes seemed to know the way, and in no time the curious trio of flyers were off pushing up towards the sky.

Ambrose had always wondered how birds were able to manage such long distances without tiring, but Halcyon had quickly gotten his attention, pushing him up higher than perhaps he normally would have attempted to fly on his own, fighting the winds and pockets of air that seemed to be trying to hold them back. But quite abruptly all that pushing and heavy beating of the wings seemed to stop, and Ambrose was aware of a new sensation as they eased into a current. He felt as if he were floating in mid air without moving, despite the occasional beat of wings to keep at the same height as the two familiars in front and beside him. Every now and then they had to circle a bit and push through another wall, and Ambrose couldn't help but marvel and wonder how Halcyon always seemed to know which way the next current was. The kingfisher also seemed to realize where they were going, for as they followed the shoreline he took the lead more often, while Archimedes settled into point beside Ambrose.

Ambrose was so busy paying attention to the birds that he had no idea how long they had flown or even the time, but landed when they did to take a break, quite ravenous and glad to see that his mother had packed more than enough to handle his appetite. But not long after he had eaten, the two familiars seemed ready to move on, so reluctantly Ambrose stretched and then changed into his bird form again to follow them back up.

As they went up, there was a curious sensation in the air that he hadn't noticed before. It caused a tingle in his feathers that he couldn't quite explain, and for a while he wondered if it might have been a warning of an impending storm. But after a while, nothing seemed to happen, despite the fact that the sensation didn't fade. His thoughts wandered suddenly to that very first day that his godfather had brought him to the castle… he had been so young then, and eager, he remembered, hoping that testing the Professor's defense system would earn him the right to the wand. It was then that he realized he was feeling a similar sensation as to how he felt when he stepped into the castle. Was it a sense of magic, he mused, and decided at last that perhaps that made the most sense and yet wondered why it was there. It was only then he realized as he looked out over the sea that they really were traveling at an incredible pace. Perhaps that was how familiars got around so fast? He had always known that familiars picked up things that regular animals did not, through their owner's thoughts and abilities, and Ambrose began to wonder just how far that influence extended. Much farther than he had believed before, that much was certain. But surely Archimedes, being made out of wood, wouldn't pick up the same from him, rather from the person who carved him. Could he have grinned in his current form, he would have, for he was quite sure he was going to have an impressive tale for Mr. Toby by the end of the journey.

The three flyers slowly began to descend through a thick layer of marine fog as they approached the island, and Ambrose found himself feeling a sudden sense of nervousness and dread. He could do this, he told himself as they finally bumped over air currents and landed in a tree. No one else could. With that in mind, he bolstered up some determination and hopped down to the ground, changing back into his normal form and for once remembering to cast the footprint spell, belatedly wondering if Viviane could sense spells cast in her area. Well, it couldn't be helped, he realized, because he was quite sure that if he were going to be able to do anything at all, he would have to use magic to do it.

Ambrose heard Halcyon's shrill call and pulled the cloak around him, following behind as best he could through thick brambles, more than a little glad it was the dead of winter, knowing it would have been harder to traverse in the spring. Of course, it also didn't offer as much cover, he realized as he stepped out onto the cliff and found himself looking at the icy lake. It was very, very still, and Ambrose began to get the feeling that perhaps Viviane wasn't home at all. Ambrose turned and looked around the edge of the cliff, quite certain that the tree would be somewhere in view of the lake so that she could keep an eye on it. It wasn't long, however, before Ambrose's eyes feel upon a giant oak tree with a gnarled, knotted trunk that reminded Ambrose so much of Merlin's flowing beard that even had Halcyon not landed on the tree to confirm it, he would not have had any doubts that it was the right one.

As he crept over, there was a strange sound in the breeze that made Ambrose pause and listen to, for although it was simply a rustle, it almost sounded like breathing. In fact, the more he listened to it and watched the branches above as they moved ever so slightly up and down, he could have sworn that the tree was snoring.

"Father?" Ambrose said tentatively, looking nervously over his shoulder at the lake before walking to the other side of the tree. "Father, wake up! Can you hear me?" he asked, wondering how silly that sounded. "I suppose you can't, can you? You don't have ears! But you don't have a nose either, but you were snoring!"

_I beg your pardon young man, but trees do not snore._

The sound rather startled him, for it was no more than the wind rustling past the branches, and yet he heard it quite plainly.

"How are you doing that?" Ambrose wondered. "How is it that I can understand the rustle sounds?"

_I don't know, I suppose it's a subconscious thing. I must be doing it in my sleep._

"You're asleep?" Ambrose asked in confusion.

_Yes, asleep. So why don't you come back in the spring?_

"In the spring?" Ambrose repeated again. "I think I understand now! You're not asleep so much as the tree itself is asleep, because it is winter! I need to find a way to get you out of here!"

_I'm afraid it just isn't possible, since I got myself into this position in the first place… making a deal to spare you, if I remember correctly…_

"Well, you saved me, so I'm here to save you," Ambrose said firmly. "I don't suppose I can dig you out?" Ambrose wondered, and then felt something in his cloak pocket. Mystified, he pulled out his hand and took out a small shovel.

_As much as your intentions are in the right place, I'm sure, that will accomplish nothing but perhaps killing this fine tree and perhaps even me in the process. Besides, it wouldn't have worked anyhow, only my physical form has been trapped within the tree, Ambrose, my soul is elsewhere, for both cannot exist within the tree at the same time… oh dear, I suppose it would be too complicated to explain the reasons for it to a boy as young as yourself, but that is the way it is._

"You weren't transformed into the tree?" Ambrose said.

_No, the tree was already here. I am simply trapped within it._

"I think I understand," Ambrose said, gazing up at the tree. "You're being held in two different cages… one physical and on this plane, while the other is ethereal on another plane. That way, not only does it make it more difficult to break out of, but more than likely if one side does break out of one cage, Viviane will be alerted and can try to stop you before you break out of the other."

_Hm. I suppose you are my son, after all._

"Yes, Father," Ambrose said with a grin. "So what we really need to do is get all of you into one cage first before trying to break you out."

_And just how do you propose to do that?_

"Transfiguration, of course! I'll just change the tree into something that can handle both a physical form and a spiritual form at the same time! Transfiguration is one of my best subjects after all. Of course, I've only transfigured dead wood to animals before now, not ever a whole tree…"

_Oh, you need to be very careful, Ambrose. Whatever it is must be capable of sustaining two souls, mine and the tree's, for although plants and trees work on a very different level than we do, they do have a spiritual and magical energy of their own, and it must be preserved as well if we're to survive such a thing. Besides, I've grown rather fond of this tree, even if it does have a bit of a problem with some sort of beetle or something gnawing on its roots._

"Don't worry, I'll think of something. If only I had my Transfiguration book with me…" he paused, and then felt something in his pocket again. In surprise, he reached down and pulled out a heavy tome. "This isn't mine, it must be whoever owns this cloak! '_Advanced Transfiguration for Useful Purposes.' _This is the seventh year book, I think," Ambrose frowned, thumbing through it. "But this one has a ton of notes in the margins and lots of highlighting, as if… wait a second…" Ambrose said suspiciously, pulling his hand back in and pulling out a little black book that had ten times the pages within it that it should have had for a book that size. "I know whose cloak this is now. Rather handy, though! I think I want one of these Chest Cloaks for my birthday!"

_Did you find something useful?_

"Yes, I think I found a transfiguration spell that can help only… well, I haven't done anything this complicated before… or this big," he added, careening his neck up to look at the tree. "It… well, it might be a bit risky."

_No one ever got anywhere in life by not taking risks, dear boy. Bring it on… at the very least if you fail it might shake the tree up enough that it wakes from its hibernation so I can be of better assistance._

"All right," Ambrose said with a sigh, sitting on one of the low branches as he perused the book and studied the spell carefully, murmuring the words in his head before he glanced at the two wands at his side, opting for his own as he stood back up. "I think I'm ready."

_The tree may sleep but the rest of me is awake and ready. _

Ambrose nodded, murmuring a complex chant he had learn to focus in on the subject he was going to transform, a misty purple haze swirling out of the wand and slowly climbing the trunk of the tree. It took much longer that he would have liked to actually encompass it… he wasn't sure if it was just his perception or if it truly was so incredibly slow to envelop it.

But as it was finally beginning to branch out over the top of the tree, he unexpectedly lost his breath and was unable to continue his chant. He whirled around on his heels, unsurprised to see Viviane standing there.

"And just what do you think you're doing? Shouldn't you be in school?" Viviane said.

"I'm rescuing my father!" Ambrose said defiantly.

"And just how did you manage to get all the way out here on your own? No, don't tell me, Jennifer is the answer to that little riddle, isn't it? My, my, helping a student off property and halfway across the country, that won't sit well with the board, will it?"

"She had nothing to do with it! I came here on my own!" Ambrose said.

"Quite unlikely," Viviane tsked. "Don't you know better than to try to fool me? Oh, considering who your parents are, I suppose you don't. Well, you can't stay here, so I had better take you home."

_Leave him be, Viviane._

"I am simply honoring my agreement and making certain he gets safely home, and then I plan to make Severus understand that I do not approve of catching one of his students trespassing on my home when they should be studying. Come, Ambrose, your hand," she said firmly, gracefully offering hers to take it.

"I'm not leaving without my father," Ambrose said, shaking his head and backing away.

"Don't be foolish, Ambrose. I assure you it is better for everyone involved if you simply return quietly," Viviane said, sounding much more impatient.

"If you try to get me to leave, it won't be quietly!" Ambrose warned.

"Then I'll simply put you to sleep like I did the first time," Viviane said with exasperation, reaching in her pocket for what looked to be a handful of sand. Realizing he had no time left, Ambrose whipped out his wand, pointing at the tree and hoping beyond hope that enough of the mist had covered the tree to transform it completely.

"_Custodius Maximus!" _Ambrose shouted, pointing it at the tree and throwing everything he had into the spell as he swept his entire arm into motion as if winding up a baseball and then thrusting it full force at the tree.

A bright light issued out and hit the mist surrounding the tree, and from the exertion he felt when the spell left, he thought for a moment that it had worked. But all the sudden, it appeared as if the light from the spell was eating at the mist binding the transfiguration in place and began to fade from the trunk on up, moving much faster up the tree than had the original spell.

"I don't know exactly what were trying to accomplish, but whatever it was obviously didn't work," Viviane said, sighing and turning back away from the tree and moving towards him. "There, you've had your little rescue attempt, you must come home now."

"You get away from me! I'm not leaving without him! Leave me alone!" Ambrose shouted. As she blew the dust at him, Ambrose managed to pull out an Alchemist Cloth out of his pocket and cover his mouth and nose, diving and rolling out of the way to get out of the cloud of glittering dust as it fell.

"Oh, stop acting like a brat! I really don't want to force you to come with me, but you're going to leave me with no choice," Viviane frowned.

"I dare you to try!" Ambrose said back.

"VIVIANE! YOU LEAVE THAT BOY ALONE!" a booming voice roared out behind them, so loud that it left Ambrose's ears ringing and it took him a moment to realize what the voice had said.

Viviane swiftly turned around, staring wide-eyed at where the oak tree once stood, for in its place was the tallest two-headed giant she had even seen, one head with a gnarled wizened face – apparently still asleep – while the one with the long shaggy beard was most decidedly awake, and most decidedly furious.

"Wow! It worked after all!" Ambrose said with sheer delight. Viviane, however, did not look quite so delighted. She made a dive for the boy, grabbing his arm and pulling him back to his feet.

"You are willing to break out agreement? Think carefully now, Merlin!" Viviane warned him.

"I have broken nothing! I am still in this tree!" Merlin said firmly. "But you are in danger of breaking your agreement at this moment! You may as well let him go before I lose my temper! If you continue to interfere with this rescue, you will have interfered with his business, and I will just get out of this cage all the faster!"

"What?" Viviane said in surprise, her expression changing to fury. "She _is_ behind this! She made it so you would get out either way! She tricked me! Why that manipulative bitch!"

"It takes one to know one!" Merlin retorted, pushing Ambrose back with his cupped hand to get him out of the line of fire. "And although I don't know who 'she' refers to or what 'she' has to do with my son's valor, but if someone did send Ambrose after me, you weren't tricked. You were outwitted!"

"I may have been thwarted temporarily, but not for long!" Viviane growled. "I will have my revenge for her interference, and nothing you or that foolish apprentice of yours will be able to stop it!"

Viviane raised her hands then, a cold blast of snow hitting them from all sides as she called up a winter blast, hoping that the shock of the freezing blizzard would force the tree deeper into its slumber and pull Merlin back with it. Below him, Ambrose wailed at the biting sensation of the cold that hit him, hanging on to the giant's leg to steady himself. He raised his wand carefully, shouting into the wind as he made the symbol for the ice ward with the tip of it, a flash temporarily enveloping him and protecting him from the spell.

"Ambrose! You had better head home and let me handle this," Merlin said, and would have pulled up his sleeves if he had had them.

"I'm not leaving without you!" Ambrose said firmly. "If she can't do anything to me without breaking the agreement, then she can't send me home, either!" Viviane growled ferociously.

"Fine! Fine! Have it your way! Just get off my land and get that child out of my sight!" Viviane snapped. "I have more important things to do than fight a battle I cannot win!"

Ambrose turned around as the giant suddenly became strangely blurry, and Ambrose then realized that instead of a two-headed giant there were two giants standing there taking up the same space. But then the bearded giant slowly knelt down, while other began to stand up straighter, growing more and more gnarled by the second until finally the kneeling figure stepped away from it and became Merlin once more.

"Father!" Ambrose said with relief, and then pushed the stick in his belt at him. "I brought your wand!"

"So you did, thank you," Merlin said, taking the wand. "Now that that has been settled, do you mind telling me just who it was that you think outwitted you?"

"You know perfectly well who it was! And know this, Merlin, your protection will not be enough to save her this time, any more than your feigned ignorance! Now leave, before I truly lose my temper!" Viviane growled.

"Yes, perhaps I should. Come along, Ambrose," Merlin said, reaching for his hand.

"I have a key to the school if it would help, Father," Ambrose offered brightly.

"No, I think it'd be better if we saw your mother first," Merlin decided. "Where do you suppose she'd be right now?"

"Hogsmeade, of course, it was Lucky's birthday today," Ambrose said.

"Oh, really? That's very interesting. Come along then," Merlin said and tapped his wand. A moment later, two shooting stars raced across the sky, fading just outside of Hogsmeade. But Viviane stood there in their absence, still steaming and still scheming. But as she looked down in the snow and saw something lying there, her next move became quite clear to her.


	37. The Tomb Raiders

Thirty-Seven

The Tomb Raiders

Jennifer felt a gentle tug on her elbow and found Severus had made her way over to her, pulling her away from several students who were debating whether to try dancing or not in the crowded basement.

"My watch doesn't appear to be in my cloak. I don't suppose you have any idea where it is?" Severus murmured in her ear.

"Perhaps it's in your desk," Jennifer suggested. "Worried about Aurelius and Alex already? Would you like to borrow my watch?"

"Actually, I was rather wondering where Ambrose went off to," Severus admitted. "He's been gone awhile."

"Considering we're in Hogsmeade, maybe he simply went off to do some shopping or run some errands or something," Jennifer said unconcernedly.

She was apparently more interested in watching Natalie making a futile but comical attempt at teaching Charles the Third how to dance. Just behind them, Lucky had went over to give the Duffy doll she had received from her aunt to little Amber, who seemed just as pleased about receiving the present as Lucky was to pass it on.

"That doesn't make sense to me, Jennifer," Severus persisted in a low voice, drawing Jennifer's attention back to him. "It's not like Ambrose to wander off when I'm certain he knows how important this is to Lucky. It's quite out of character for him not to be here, and I cannot think of any errand he might have wanted to take care of in town that would take him this long," Severus said.

"Why don't you ask Ashley if you're worried about it," Jennifer suggested.

"Not a bad idea," Severus admitted, spotting her across the room.

Despite the fact that Severus had sensed that Jennifer was not telling him everything, Jennifer had been quite calm. Ashley, however, looked quite distracted, holding onto Destiny's hands while the young girl made an effort at dancing to her own beat rather than the music. Ashley's eyes immediately focused in on Severus when he came near her, and she was wearing the expression of someone who had just been caught doing something they know they shouldn't have been doing.

"Ashley, have you seen Ambrose?" he asked quietly.

"Oh ah… yes, Severus, I saw him leave a while ago. He had an errand to run," Ashley explained.

"Really? What sort of errand?" he asked in a low but casual tone.

"It's a family matter, Severus," Ashley explained, picking Destiny up. "But you're right in that it has been awhile, so I think I'll go check up on him for you. Here, have your granddaughter. I'll just go have a word with Lucky, and then I'll go look for him," she said, pushing Destiny over at him before he could think of a way out of it.

His eyes followed her as she wandered over to where Lucky and Connie were standing, and he didn't miss the fact that Ashley paused long enough to say something to Jennifer as well, who nodded solemnly in response. Letting out a silent sigh, Severus turned and went back over to where Albus was sitting and sat down beside him. Destiny began to squirm, immediately wanting to get down to join the party once more.

"I see you have your hands full again," Albus teased, enticing the girl's attention with a biscuit.

"Apparently I'm not the only one," Severus said.

* * *

Ashley knew perfectly well that Ambrose was not going to be at home, but she couldn't help but be relieved to get out of the stuffy room and into her own house where she could worry without having the added pressure of trying to _look_ less worried than she really was.

She went in the back door and through the kitchen without a second glance at the note Bart had tossed in the kitchen window (he had learned a long time ago that it seemed to be the most effective way of getting letters to her) and straight over to her sewing box, pulling out some work and threading several needles with a quick flick of the wand. Then took out some material already pinned to different patterns, tossing it at the dummy and watching as it arranged itself to make certain it was all lined up properly.

Every now and again she would pause and look out the window before forcing herself to concentrate on her project once more. Finally she saw a flash of light out of the corner of her eye and looked up, a bit confused when she saw nothing out the window.

Just then, the door started to rattle as the excited Ambrose momentarily forgot whether to pull or push, but at last he burst through the door.

"I did it! Mum, look, I did it!" Ambrose said excitedly, and Ashley looked up in amazement as Merlin stepped in, a bit ruffled but otherwise all right.

"Ambrose!" Ashley said in such a tone that her son knew very well it wasn't directed at him. It was made even clearer when she ran over and hugged Merlin out of sheer relief. "Thank goodness you are all right! I was so worried!"

"There, there, my dear, I'm quite all right," Merlin said awkwardly, feeling more than a little uncomfortable about having a woman he didn't remember showing him such open affection. But as awkward as it was, it became even more awkward when young Ambrose decided to join in, hugging them both at once and beaming at them happily. "Um… thank you! Excuse me for a moment if I beg for some air… you see, I haven't really gotten to breathe in awhile, being trapped under a tree, you know…"

"Oh, you poor man! Come have a seat. Ambrose, get him some water…" Ashley fussed.

"No no, thank you, really. I have been very well watered… snow pack, you know, and really, I just wanted to make sure the boy got back all right, and to find out if you know exactly what I was up to when I lost my memory…"

"Are you hungry?" Ashley quickly interrupted.

"Oh…well…perhaps a little," Merlin admitted.

"You lost your memory?" Ambrose asked in confusion. "But you seem all right to me. You act like you always do in your paintings…"

"Ambrose, you had better run to your sister's house and fetch Severus, but don't tell anyone else just yet," Ashley said.

"What! But when he finds out what I did, I'm going to get in trouble!" Ambrose complained.

"No one is going to get into trouble for this if I have anything to say about it, now go and fetch Severus so I can talk to Merlin alone for a few minutes," Ashley said.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Ambrose said with a grin, and then ran out the door. Ashley shook her head in exasperation.

"When you said no one, Mrs. Bailey, did that mean to include more than Ambrose?" Merlin asked. "What I mean to say is… Viviane thought he had some help, and I'm quite worried that she's on a rampage about it."

"Yes, he did have help, although I really hope you won't mention that to Severus…"

"Madam, considering I don't have any sort of idea at this moment what I should and should not be saying at all, I believe I would be better off not saying much to anyone just yet," Merlin admitted. "I do have another concern at the moment, and that is whether or not the sword is still being wielded. Is it?"

"Yes, it is," Ashley said with a sigh. "In fact, Aurelius left the party about the same time Ambrose did, something out about tracking down a possible descendent of Morgan le Fey's that might know something about it…"

"Which line?" Merlin asked suspiciously, furrowing his brows. "Not Mordred's, I hope."

"No, we already knew that they didn't know anything about this," Ashley said. "Aurelius and the girls were more interested in Owain's line."

"Oh dear, I hope they're careful," Merlin frowned. "I may not remember who Morgan's descendants might be in this time period, but one thing is certain; whoever tails one of them is likely to get more than they bargained for."

* * *

Joanie took the tea politely from where she sat across from an older woman, occasionally glancing at the somewhat grotesque cherubs ornately carved in the woodwork. The butler had called it 'the music room,' despite the fact that the only thing that might have given it such a label was a dusty lap harp sitting above the mantle that looks as if it hadn't been touched in years.

In many ways, Joanie couldn't help but feel that the limestone manor was more apart of their world than the Muggle world; in fact, the only thing that seemed remotely Mugglish was the small sign posted on the ornate ironwork gates announcing that garden tours were unavailable until May. There was a ghostly feel to the entire place, or as Alex had put it, it was positively creepy, including the dark and dismal marshlands that surrounded the carefully tended manor grounds. The Lady Moor herself seemed rigid and out of place and wore a very outdated gown that wasn't particularly fashionable in either society.

"So this manor was built on the site of Owain's castles?" Joanie asked.

"It was a monastery originally, but it often served as a defensive stronghold, yes," the lady nodded. "You can see the remnants of it in the gardens and in the walls surrounding the property, although the only part of the building itself that still exists is a part of the cathedral over near the family graveyard. The mausoleum there serves as a marker to where the original catacombs were, although there isn't much left of them. The damp air in this area has collapsed most of the underground areas, you see," the lady said.

"Do you suppose there are knights templar buried down there?" Joanie asked daringly, and the lady laughed.

"You have been reading too many books, Miss Weasley, for you seem to be looking for a mystery rather than a special interest story," she said.

"Well, it seems to me there already is plenty of mystery here, considering how many Arthurian legends have Morgan le Fey as Owain's mother. Although I have wondered whether she really was a Fae at all, or if many only assumed she was fae because of her magic ability," Joanie said. Moor's eyes flicked up at her searchingly.

"Come now, dear child, you speak almost as if magic truly existed," she tsked. "Perhaps she was simply very pale and fair, or perhaps it was a reference to the lands she came from. But magic? Next you'll be telling me you believe in ghosts and vampires, and although I myself enjoy a thrilling tale of intrigue now and again, we must be realistic, now mustn't we? Even so, I very much believe that Owain's mother could very well be the same woman referenced in such tales," she agreed smoothly. "However, I'm not about to prove it to you or anyone else, nor do I ever want it proven. You see, Miss Weasley, I believe some mysteries are better off left unsolved. The dead should have the right to protect the secrets of their lives, and besides, I rather think knowing the answer to a mystery tends to leave one feeling deflated. Unfortunately, most of the world around me seems to think that no stone should be left unturned," she said with a thin smile. "Do yourself a favor and preserve the mysteries in your life. You will enjoy life a lot more if you do, you know."

"I'm afraid natural curiosity and trying to solve mysteries is in my blood," Joanie chuckled. "I'm a reporter, after all."

"Oh yes, I understand, Miss Weasley, just as it's in my blood to try and preserve them," the Lady Moor said, getting up. "I do hope, however, that you have plenty of mystery for your article, but don't forget to mention the gardens. My son has a special affection for roses, and he's rather famous for them in this area. I'm only sorry that you came to call in the winter and couldn't enjoy the gardens properly."

"Perhaps I'll come back in the spring and take some photos," Joanie said.

"Yes, of course, and then my son can show you around, perhaps. He's about your age, and doesn't get much company," she explained.

"Very well, until then," Joanie said quickly. "And thanks for the tea."

Joanie slowly worked her down the groomed path to the gates, her eyes focused ahead until she turned a corner and then began to run, pushing through the marsh until she met up with Jamie.

"How did it go? Did you learn anything?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, and I think… I think maybe there is more here than we first thought. Where are Aurelius and Alex?" Joanie asked.

"They went to check out that old graveyard, actually, to see how far the dates go back," Jamie explained.

"Uh oh, that's not good," Joanie said.

"What's wrong?" Jamie asked.

"Only that if those two get caught they're going to get more than they bargained for, because after the warning I just got from Lady Moor, I don't think this family is as Muggle as they like to pretend they are," Joanie said.

Alexandria crept carefully through the catacombs behind Aurelius, doing everything in her power not to touch anything to the point of pulling in her shoulders close in the narrower tunnels to keep from brushing up against the sides.

"I saw this movie once where someone went down in a catacomb like this, and it was completely filled with rats," Alex whispered ominously. "Only in that case, they were looking for the Grail."

Aurelius rolled his eyes.

"First off, Alex, you have a wand. If you see a rat, turn it into a doorknob. And second, there's no real Grail, it was simply a device used by storytellers of the time period to symbolize the attempt at attaining a higher level of spirituality through questing," Aurelius explained.

"You don't know that for sure…"

"Yes I do. I'm sure," Aurelius said firmly. "Now, come on. I want to see how far down we can go just in case one of Morgan's descendants was buried with it."

"But I thought all the tales said she chucked it in a lake?" Alex said.

"Yes, but something about that doesn't sit right with me. I mean, why would she have done that when she could have given it to one of her sons to use against Arthur?" Aurelius said.

"Maybe she simply didn't want anyone to know for sure it was her who did it?" Alex said. "Maybe she was forced into chucking it somehow?"

"Maybe," Aurelius admitted. "Or maybe she passed it down to someone and it got buried with them."

"Or maybe someone still has it," Alex pointed out.

"No, I don't think so, because it'd have surfaced by now," Aurelius said. "According to local history, the Moor family line is filled with hemophiliacs."

"Well, isn't that a cruel irony then?" Alex said, Aurelius nodding in response, but then paused when he heard a noise. He then looked down the corridor and let out an exasperated sigh. "Just how much louder can you be, traipsing around in unfamiliar territory sounding like a herd of elephants? I thought I taught you better, Jamie," he scolded her before she even stepped into the light.

"Sorry, but we need to get out of here and fast, there's been a hitch," Jamie said.

"A hitch?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. In the fact that the members of this family aren't Muggles," Jamie said.

"Oh, don't be silly! Of course they're Muggles! They're in a guide book!" Alex said with exasperation.

But just then they heard strange noises like grating stone from all around them.

"Alex," Aurelius said slowly, glancing at one of the crypts that had just opened up on its own. "They're not Muggles."

"Look out!" Joanie warned from the darkness in front of them, and almost immediately afterwards they found themselves surrounded by the animated remains of those around them. Some of them looked like decayed rags with bones attached, while others were barely more than invisible men with fragments of bone hanging in air of where they would have been had he been alive, their rusted swords and spear and axe heads also floating by their sides. The four of them soon found themselves running for their lives, using their wands to keep the undead from getting too close to them as they pushed further up the stairs.

The wisp light had gone out early as Aurelius had to concentrate his magic on defending himself, and then Alex had made the mistake of trying to parry with her torch and had it smashed to pieces. In a panic, she reached in her pocket and felt something cold and round in her hand. She pulled out a large gem that suddenly began glowing brightly, leaving the others blinking while their eyes tried to adjust.

"This way!" Alex said, leading them down one of the corridors.

"How did you get Mum's gem?" Aurelius said in disbelief.

"I'm sorry! I forgot all about her giving it to me before we left!" Alex said. Aurelius groaned softly. "She also had me borrow something of Corey's…"

"I don't care!" Aurelius snapped, banishing another of the animated corpses into oblivion with a quick blast from his wand. "Let's just get out of here before we get into even more trouble than we're already going to be in!"

"Uh oh," Joanie said immediately afterwards, and they all looked over to see the stone door up to the surface had been thrown back into place. "Now we're trapped down here."

"Just Disapparate," Aurelius said, still standing with his wand pointed the other way in case any more skeletons decided to come after them.

"Can't. Tried that," Joanie said.

"Keys?" Jamie asked, grabbing her Ministry key.

"Tried that too," Joanie admitted.

"She's right, this must be a bound area," Jamie said, but before she could say anything else, another wave of the animated dead began surging towards them in a wave and they all had to take the defensive again.

"Are you ready to hear what it was that I borrowed from Corey, now?" Alex asked, not even trying to help fend them off.

"All I want to hear right now is you have a way to get us out of here!" Aurelius shouted at her.

"That's what I got," Alex said, pulling out a Portable Hole out of her pocket and slapping it onto the trap door.

"Brilliant!" Joanie said appreciatively.

"After you!" Alex said, and the two girls scrambled up, leaving Jamie and Aurelius to cover for them until at last they followed them.

But as Aurelius pushed himself through, he realized that the entire mausoleum was filled with a horrible yellow gas, and before managed to grab a cloth out of his cloak, Aurelius blacked out.


	38. A Tale of Two Vixens

Chapter Thirty-Eight

A Tale of Two Vixens

When Aurelius woke up in the Tower and on the wrong side of the bars, his first instinct was to groan, roll over, and to go back to sleep until he was ready to deal with that reality. But as he rolled over, he realized something was missing. He sat up so quickly he hit his head on the empty top bunk, scrambling to his feet so he could walk over to the bars to see who was on duty.

"Larry?" he said, the bored guard looking up from where he stood by the door. "Larry, where's my sword?"

"Percival Weasley has taken it under his charge, Auror Snape," the guard. "I imagine they're simply holding you here until that mess is sorted out at the Ministry with the Lady Moor and her son. They've accused you four of grave robbing, trespassing, and breaching some old no contact order between the Ministry and that family."

"What? I didn't know anything about that family! It wasn't in any of our records as being magic at all, let alone being a bunch of necromancers…"

"Wull, if it's worth anything, apparently you weren't the only ones who didn't know about it," Larry said. "In fact, I believe Minister Malfoy sent them to bring back some proof of their claim, and is having someone look through the Archives before he makes any decisions on the matter."

Just then Larry became alert as the door opened and Severus strode in.

"I need a moment alone with him, Lawrence," Severus said, glancing at the cells around Aurelius to make certain they were empty.

"Yes, sir. I'll be right outside," Larry said unquestioningly, nodding to Aurelius before slipping out the door.

"I would ask you how your latest inquiries went, but I believe the answer is rather obvious," Severus said briskly, earning a dirty look from his son. "Other more important things have come up, actually. Ambrose somehow managed to get Merlin out of the tree."

"What?" Aurelius stared at him. "I thought I saw him at the party."

"Yes, well, it happened after that. Apparently, he 'got the idea' that he might be able to rescue him and flew out there with his familiars. Since Viviane had made the promise that she wouldn't interfere in his business, she couldn't interfere with his rescue attempt, and upon realization of that let him go," Severus murmured.

"He came up with that on his own?" Aurelius said skeptically.

"Regardless of how he came up with the idea, it worked, at least partially; Merlin's memories are still missing. He did not recognize me, nor does he seem to remember anything that has happened since just before we opened that gate and helped him across that first time. He also has no future memories for at least twenty years to come," Severus explained.

"I'd think that would be a blessing in his situation," Aurelius said.

"Yes, well, be that as it may, Ashley is working to get him up to speed as quickly as possible so we can pinpoint the cause behind this memory gap of his. He'll be staying at his shop, but I wouldn't expect to see it open anytime soon. I'm afraid he took the reason behind why he created the Toby persona in the first place rather hard," Severus murmured.

"So what happens now?" Aurelius said quietly.

"Merlin believes as time passes and he gets farther from the point where he lost his memory, the gaps in his past memories should begin to fix themselves. We don't know if the same will hold true for the gap in his future memories or not. The benefit being that he is probably thinking more clearly now than in the past. Perhaps he is even a tad more sane," Severus said dryly. "But I doubt he is going to be any help to you in your current situation with the sword."

"You mean _our_ situation?" Aurelius frowned.

"I have my own problems at the moment," Severus said, turning quickly away.

"So Mum did have something to do with it?" Aurelius said with exasperation.

"I was referring to having to deal with whatever the board is going to say about this trespassing charge of yours," Severus said curtly.

"And what about Mum?" Aurelius protested as Severus gently knocked on the door.

"She hasn't asked me for help," Severus said evenly.

"So? That's never stopped you before!" Aurelius said.

"Yes, I know," Severus said, glancing up at the door as it opened, a bit surprised to see that Percy was waiting along with the guard.

"About done yelling at him, I hope?" Percy asked with amusement.

"Not once did he give me cause to raise my voice," Severus said defensively, a bit annoyed at the dubious expression on Percy's face.

"Yes, well, Draco's ready to see him, and you as well, I think. They expect that Lady Moor will be back any time now. The girls have already been escorted down," he explained.

"Very well," Severus said, waiting for Larry to go over and unlock the door to Aurelius' cell.

"Can I have my sword back?" Aurelius asked.

"I think I'd better wait until after we find out what Draco wants to do about this mess," Percy decided, and the four of them walked down.

The Lord of the Moor was a somewhat handsome man in his twenties, but with skin so sallow it made Severus look rosy in comparison, and had pinkish eyes and hair completely devoid of color. He nodded cordially when they came in but his expression was grave. His mother, sitting in the chair in front of him, appeared to be seething.

"I don't care what Plumeria's excuse was, Bosworth, don't come back until this is authenticated," Draco said flatly. Severus stepped away from the doorway so that Adler could walk out of the room. Alex, Jamie and Joanie glanced over at Aurelius somberly as they came in. "About time you got back, Weasley."

"Sorry, Minister," Percy said. "Should I stick around?"

"Do I pay you to stick around?" Draco asked. Percy quickly excused himself, closing the door behind him. "Auror Snape, you and the other members this little 'expedition' of yours were just accused of grave robbing. What were you doing in Lord Moor's catacombs?"

"We were exploring. We were _not_ grave robbing," Aurelius said. "And we certainly weren't aware that this family had any magic connections."

"Weren't aware?" Lady Moor said incredulously. "This young lady here… the one who _claimed_ to be a reporter, did everything but accuse us outright of being magic, and yet you weren't aware?"

"I am a reporter," Joanie retorted. "And you denied being magic."

"Of course I did! As far as I knew you were a simple-minded Muggle reporter, not a simple-minded Witch reporter," Lady Moor said indignantly. Joanie scowled at her. "Besides, even if I weren't of magical heritage, I hardly see how that gives you the right to go snooping about in my family catacombs."

"Actually, we have paperwork filed for that. We were on an artifact recovery mission," Aurelius said.

"And what exactly has that got to do with anything?" Lady Moor asked with a frown.

"What they're saying is that they filled out the proper paperwork with the Ministry of Artifacts to give them permission to sneak into certain Muggle run areas, such as ancient burial sites, to attempt to recover a magical item which is better off in the hands of those properly trained to handle it and away from those who might be endangered by its presence," Draco said.

"Licensed burglary, is it? I'm beginning to see why my family went against the entire idea of an organized wizards society if you support that sort of thing," the lady said with obvious disgust. "Well, I don't care what sort of 'licensing' anyone has, nor do I buy this as a mere random mistake. You are not allowed to interfere with our estate by order and decree of the Wizard's Council, and I demand some course of action be taken to see that it does _not_ happen again!"

"Let's get one thing perfectly clear, Moor," Draco said, very intentionally leaving off the title. "I don't care who you think you are. I don't take demands from anyone, especially when it is obvious that you are hardly without fault in the matter. Necromancy was outlawed over two centuries ago."

"Your laws do not concern us," Lady Moor said coolly.

"If you live in this country, you are subject to its laws," Draco said, glancing up as Adler stepped back in with a scroll, which Draco perused for a moment, and then put down with exasperation. "This document was signed by Muldoon. You cannot possibly expect to hold the Ministry to a no contact order older than Francis Pyther!"

"There are a couple of Ministry notations on it, as you can see, sir, so even if it is a pre-Ministry document it's obvious they were aware of it and chose to honor it. The last notation I found was in 1870, which basically just acknowledged that they 'hadn't all died out yet.'"

"Such hostile sentiment when all we've ever wanted was to be left alone," Moor said.

"And I can respect that," Draco said briskly. "But don't expect me to respect this antiquated agreement that allows you to do whatever you like without worrying about Ministry intervention. I doubt any of this would have happened at all had it been known in recent record your family had magical tendencies, and at the same time, I don't care for any family to think they can skirt the rules due to their name, title or money. If you choose to use magic, you fall under the Ministry's jurisdiction, and you won't find it so easy to get around me. If you want to be left alone, I expect you had better learn to live with our rules, so we don't have any reason to come calling again."

"You know, we could have killed them," the Lady Moor said with her gaze fixed on Draco, but her son was frowning at her in response. "We could have simply disposed of them and no one would have been the wiser."

"Yes, but then you couldn't have come here to express outrage and to try to renew your family's carte blanche," Draco said unconcernedly as he allowed his charmed 'void' stamp go nuts all over the parchment, apparently not caring one wit about how old it was. "Besides, you wouldn't have lived another day had you actually succeeded. That's the problem with being out of touch for so long, Moor… you have no idea just what kind of curse you just dodged."

"Then perhaps we'll have to take more of an interest from now on," the Lady Moor said in a tone that was unmistakably meant as a warning.

"Good. So will we," Draco said unconcernedly. "That said, I suppose the matter is closed. We will overlook the necromancy charge this time, although under normal circumstances, especially since two Aurors witnessed it, it would have landed you in Azkaban for five years. And you four will get inadvertent trespassing charges for not doing your homework." He added, and then glanced at Joanie. "You should be fined twice considering how often you get that charge."

"It's almost a reporter's sworn duty to trespass on occasion," Joanie said cheerfully. "Besides, I was let in."

"You weren't let into that crypt though, were you?" Draco retorted.

"One moment," the Lady Moor said as Draco tried to dismiss them. "I want some reassurances that this sort of thing isn't going to happen again! I don't want anyone near our estate!"

"Aurelius?" Draco asked thoughtfully, and Aurelius walked up to the front of the room so he could look them both in the eyes.

"Very well, I'll agree to leaving them alone, but first I must ask you if you happen to know the whereabouts of Caledfwlch's Scabbard?"

Both the Lady and her son blinked with surprise.

"That is what you were looking for? Are you mad?" Lady Moor asked, standing up. "Now I understand why my family avoided your kind for so long! I see old grudges do lasts generations, and well over a thousand years removed! I will not be persecuted because of something our family matron did, assuming that you could even prove that Morgan Le Fey did it! How dare you condemn us for our bloodline?"

"Thank you, that'll be all. We won't be bothering you again," Aurelius said. Glancing at the girls and then at his father, he shook his head. Alex, Jamie and Joanie slumped a bit.

"Not until I get satisfaction! I demand to know what society this is which condemns a family for its ancestors!" Lady Moor snarled.

"The same one that elects someone with Morgan's blood as Minister of Magic, I suppose," Draco said evenly. "Bosworth, escort them home and find get their exact boundaries so we don't have any more 'accidental' anythings."

"Yes, sir," Adler said, and Draco waited until they were escorted out before finally turning to Aurelius.

"As for you and Miss Potter, you are officially suspended from acting in any official capacity as an Auror until this thing is over. I can't have the two of you continuously trying to skirt the lines using a power that is put there to catch dark wizards, not go on wild good chases," Draco said flatly.

"Well we did catch some, didn't we? Well, sort of…" Jamie put in, but Draco was obviously not amused.

"If your father has anything to say about it, he can come to me directly, but I won't be changing my mind. Get this thing done and get that sword put away before it causes any more headaches, the Department of Artifacts is breathing down my neck as it is. Clemmons, I don't want to see you hanging about the courtroom on any lobbying attempts either. If I see you on this property other than looking something up at in Archives, you'll be thrown out. Dismissed."

"Hey! What about her?" Jamie complained, pointing at Joanie who was gloating.

"The Ministry has already been ordered to throw her out on sight unless I'm the one who called her here. What do you want me to do? Throw her out twice?" Draco asked bluntly. "Snape, you should take my advice and suspend them from the castle as well."

"Is that your way of volunteering to teach Defense in Aurelius' absence?" Severus inquired.

"If I did, I would be teaching all the students how to mind their own business, how not to get railroaded into stupid quests for ancient artifacts, and most importantly, how not to piss me off," Draco retorted.

"Perhaps that's worth arranging you to come in as a guest speaker then," Severus decided. Draco glared at him as he left, knowing full well that his last suggestion had been more serious than the first.

"So how many have you had? This is my fifteenth," Alex admitted to the others as Severus was stepping out of the office.

"I have a couple dozen," Jamie admitted. "Most of them tossed out because of work, though."

"Thirty-eight, here," Aurelius mused, glancing to make sure the trespassing fee hadn't gone up.

"One hundred and fifty three for me," Joanie said cheerfully. The other three stared at her. "Or fifty four. I might have lost count. But the story has always been worth more than the fee. 'Long Lost Dark Wizard Family No Longer Lost!' How's that?"

"I think they wanted to stay lost," Aurelius said flatly.

"'Long Lost Dark Wizard Family Reemerges?' Oh, I know! 'Long Lost Dark Wizard Family keeps Skeletons in Their Closets!'" she went on.

"I like the last one," Jamie said.

"You would," Aurelius snorted.

"Why don't we leave the headlines to the editor?" Severus suggested disapprovingly. "Or better yet, downplay the entire situation as much as possible, considering people are bound to wonder what the four of you were doing there if this were to get out."

"But everyone already knows that Aurelius has the sword," Alex said. "Perhaps if everyone knew exactly what we were looking for, we'd get more leads."

"And more than likely end up on more wild goose chases, some of which might just lead you into even more trouble than the one the Minister just got you out of," Severus said.

"Actually, it wasn't the Minister who got us out. Three guesses who it was," Aurelius said, Severus gazing at him curiously. "They would have left us trapped in that crypt to die if they had had the option."

"You really think so?" Alex said thoughtfully. "Good thing Mum insisted I take her gem and that Portable Hole then."

"See what I mean?" Aurelius said, but Severus had suddenly become disinterested. "The only reason they decided to keep us alive was because they recognized the sword when we came out of there and they didn't want Viviane to come after them to try and take it back."

"Not a very friendly lot to be sure," Jamie agreed. "Although Lord Moor is rather cute, isn't he?"

"Yes he definitely is, in a rather mysterious, creepy, albino sort of way," Joanie agreed. Aurelius rolled his eyes.

"See what I have been having to put up with?" Aurelius said with exasperation.

"Then you'll be all the more ready to get back to class tomorrow," Severus said unconcernedly. They waited outside Percy's office so Aurelius could get the sword back, looking slightly less agitated now that it was back at his side. As they walked into lobby, Severus noticed the receptionist was trying to get his attention. "Good afternoon, Darla."

"Good afternoon, Professor. I just got a message for you from Hogwarts, sir."

"Odd, couldn't it have waited?" Severus frowned, taking the note.

"Don't tell me it's from Mum," Aurelius asked disapprovingly.

"No, it's from Hermione," Severus said, staring at its contents a moment. "We need to head straight back. Apparently I have a guest waiting," he explained, shifting his gaze at Aurelius who rolled his eyes and shook his head in response.

"Anything you want us to do in the meantime?" Jamie asked Aurelius.

"Getting a lead that doesn't put us in a position where we might be buried would be nice," Aurelius said dryly before he and Severus Disapparated. The three of them stood there thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm parched. Anyone want to come up to the Polaris Town with me?" Joanie asked. "I'm buying."

"Awful long way for a drink, but I could use one," Jamie agreed.

"Sure, why not? I've always wanted to go there," Alex agreed, and the three girls stepped over to the port stations and decided to bury their troubles for a while.

Unfortunately for Severus, his troubles seemed to be just beginning, for Viviane was waiting in his office when he arrived along with Eric Dalance, who seemed wary of her presence. Aurelius slipped just inside the doorway, partly so he could watch everyone in the room, and partly to make sure no one left without notice. Across from him sat Hermione and Andrew, although Andrew seemed unusually somber.

"Sorry for the delay," Severus said evenly as he walked over to his desk.

"It was hardly an expected visit, Severus," Eric said.

"And just where is that wife of yours?" Viviane asked coolly.

"Still at Corey's house, I imagine. There was a school trip today," Severus said unconcernedly, but went over to his desk to find his watch in the drawer. He glanced at it briefly, putting it in his pocket. "Does it matter?"

"Then call her here," Viviane said crisply.

"She'll more than likely be here within the hour in any case," Severus said calmly. "Exactly what is this about?"

"It is about one of your students paying me a visit this afternoon, Severus," Viviane said.

"Yes, I've spoken to Mr. Bailey about it, Aunt Viviane. He took it upon himself to go rescue his father, I believe, and successfully from what I understand," Severus said.

"Ambrose Bailey did not 'take it upon himself' to do anything. This entire 'rescue' was meticulously planned out by a member of your own staff, who deliberately helped the student sneak out of school across country and trespass on my territory, as well as giving him access to certain spells he shouldn't have had access to. I was under the impression that students aren't allowed to cast magic outside of school."

"They are not," Severus agreed. "Although I'm curious as to why you think someone might have helped him. Ambrose has a long history of taking the initiative when it suits him."

"Not this time," Viviane said with certainty. "He didn't act alone. Someone else deliberately risked that boy's life to get involved in something that really wasn't her business to begin with. It was Jennifer who encouraged Ambrose to sneak away from a Hogsmeade trip which was oh so 'conveniently' offered to the students on less than a week's notice."

"You're accusing Jennifer of student endangerment?" Eric frowned. "That doesn't sound like the Jennifer I know."

"She hasn't been herself lately, has she, Severus?" Viviane challenged him.

"On the contrary, she has been behaving like she has always behaved," Severus said evenly. "And furthermore, I was the one who decided to let the students go to Hogsmeade today, not Jennifer."

"Ah, but who suggested the trip?" Viviane pressed.

"Lady Viviane, accusing a Hogwarts' staff member of deliberate student endangerment is a very serious charge," Eric said grimly. "Do you have any proof of this?"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't," Viviane said with a thin cruel smile, pulling out the book and handing it to Eric. "I found this tome on the ground after they had left."

Eric frowned and glanced in the Transfiguration book, staring at a moment before glancing up at Andrew, whose face had lost all color.

"You had better see this, Severus," Eric said quietly, and Severus glanced at it as well, recognizing the handwriting immediately and then staring at Andrew himself.

Andrew stood up expressionlessly, straightening his robes and looking as dignified as he could.

"Professor Andrew? Would you care to explain just how it is that Mr. Bailey got his hands on your seventh year instructional copy?" Severus asked with a noticable strain in his voice.

"More than likely, he got it out of my Chest Cloak pocket," Andrew said evenly.

"I suppose that's where he had hidden the key as well?" Viviane inquired.

"Key?" Severus frowned.

"Yes, he happened to mention to Merlin as he was leaving that he had a school key with him," Viviane said. Blinking in surprise, Severus glanced at Andrew, who wouldn't meet his gaze. He then went over to his own cloak, instantly pulling out his key. Relaxing slightly, he put it on the table. "Oh, come now, Severus, do be reasonable. You may have it now, but it wouldn't be too difficult for your wife to have 'borrowed it' and replaced it before you realized it was missing," Viviane snorted.

"I didn't wear my cloak today, Viviane, and Jennifer has not left the Willowby house as dozens can testify to," Severus said. "She never would have had an opportunity to return it."

"Severus, you of all people know she could have plenty of opportunity later on tonight to replace it. How else would Ambrose have gotten that school key?" Viviane asked.

"Maybe I can clear that up," Hermione said, and Severus stared in surprise as she stood as well. "I am the one that lent Ambrose the key."

"Hermione!" Eric said, aghast.

"It was the only way I knew of to make certain that he had a safe way home," Hermione explained. "Look, we knew that the moment we turned our backs this weekend that Ambrose was bound going to go looking for his father, and honestly, when he sets his mind to something, there's not much you can do to stop him. So rather than let him go out there completely unprepared for whatever trouble he might run into, we decided to take precautions so he wouldn't go unprotected. We weren't trying to put a student in danger, Eric. We were simply trying to protect a student that we knew was going to need protecting."

"The problem with that, Hermione, is one could argue that having these items might have emboldened him to act," Eric pointed out.

"No," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I truly believe he would have gone through with it even if we hadn't helped him. I wouldn't have done it otherwise, and neither would have Andrew."

"And just who was it that convinced you so firmly that he would do such a thing?" Viviane asked.

"Ambrose did," Hermione shrugged. Viviane squinted. "I knew the moment he found out about where his father was that he wouldn't waste any time acting on it. In fact, that's exactly why everyone tried to keep it hidden from him."

"Oh? And just how did he find out?" Viviane asked. But just then, there was a soft brisk knock from somewhere behind them. "I suppose here comes the answer to that now," she said with a thin smile as the curtain opened.

"Severus, Ashley and I are going to head over to the house for a… oh, sorry," Jennifer said quickly when she glanced around the room. "Didn't mean to interrupt."

"You may as well come in. Ashley as well if she is with you," Severus suggested.

"Why, what's going on?" Jennifer asked, pulling open the curtain and glancing over her shoulder before stepping into the room.

"You know perfectly well what's going on, considering you orchestrated the whole thing," Viviane said.

"What whole thing?" Jennifer asked. Behind her, Ashley peered in the room curiously. Seeing that Viviane was in there, Ashley's expression changed dramatically and she stepped in.

"Jennifer, Viviane is under the impression that you are responsible for Ambrose leaving Hogsmeade today," Severus said.

"You know perfectly well I've been at Corey's all day, as any number of people can attest to. It was Lucky's fifteenth birthday today and… well, honestly, Eric, we did hold a bit of a family gathering for her while we were in Hogsmeade," Jennifer admitted.

"There's no rule that says that students can't visit family during their visits in Hogsmeade," Eric said with amusement. "I suppose that is the real reason behind the impromptu trip, Severus?"

"Guilty, I'm afraid," Severus admitted expressionlessly. "We realized belatedly that a girl's fifteenth birthday was very significant in Fortuna's original culture and it was the only way I could think of getting her friends and family together without breaking any school rules. I will take full responsibility if anyone cares to complain about it."

"Who complains about an extra shopping trip?" Eric asked with amusement. "Especially before starting reviews for O.W.L.S.. Besides, I'm much more concerned about Viviane's accusations of deliberate student endangerment towards Jennifer, considering that'd put her job on the line."

"What?" Ashley said with surprise.

"I would never deliberately endanger a student," Jennifer said evenly.

"By that, she simply means that she didn't feel she was putting Ambrose in any danger when she suggested to him to try and rescue his father today," Viviane said crisply.

"If your father was in danger, wouldn't you try to rescue him?" Jennifer asked.

"My parents have been dead since I was a child," Viviane said coolly

"I was speaking figuratively rather than personally," Jennifer said. "Ambrose has a mind of his own, just like everyone else, and regardless of what anyone else says or does, we are all responsible for our own decisions."

"He is a child, Jennifer, only partially responsible for his decisions," Eric chided her gently.

"You are quite right, Mr. Dalance," Ashley said, stepping up with a defiant glint in her eye. "And it is high time I took some responsibility for my own, because I knew what Ambrose was going to do today. In fact I… well, I helped cover for him. I'm sorry, Severus," Ashley said, glancing over to see Severus nod expressionlessly.

"Are you saying you gave the boy permission to go?" Eric asked.

"Well, I did pack him a lunch for his trip, after all. In a mother's terms, that's the same thing," Ashley said. "As far as I was concerned, it was a personal family matter. Besides, we all knew that she couldn't touch him without Merlin getting out, and Merlin would never let anything happen to Ambrose if he did get out. He wasn't ever in any real danger."

"If you truly believe that, you are even more naïve than I thought," Viviane snorted.

"If that is what you think, so be it! I think you are only angry because it worked," Ashley said.

"No, actually, it is how it was accomplished that is questionable, not whether or not the task was accomplished," Viviane said fixedly.

"I agree with you in principle, Lady Viviane, especially if it were a matter of student endangerment," Eric said with a nod. "But considering that Mrs. Bailey herself seems to have given him permission to leave the town on a 'personal family matter,' her responsibility for his actions as a parent trumps the school's actions in this, not that I necessarily approve of their choice to aid him," he frowned at Andrew and Hermione. "Still, I probably would have done the same thing in a similar position," he admitted. Andrew smiled thinly, the first time he had dared since the book had been pulled out. Viviane, on the other hand, was staring at Jennifer with open fury despite the fact that Jennifer had her eyes fixed on Eric and wasn't even looking in her direction. "As for Jennifer, I don't really see that she had anything to do with it."

"She had everything to do with it! Right down to her decision to invite Bailey up to her room to make sure she was present to save Jennifer's hide!" Viviane snapped.

"Actually, we were on our way to see Minerva about something and Ashley came up to help me pick out some trim for a project we were working on," Jennifer explained. "I was just coming in to tell Severus we were heading to the house for awhile."

"That is true, that is what we were doing," Ashley put in. "Perhaps it'd have been better if you had just left a note, Jennifer," she added teasingly.

"Yes, well, doing the right thing is never without its consequences," Jennifer said daringly, so much so that Viviane walked over to her with such purpose that several hands went to their sides and Severus' own hand fell under his desk.

"Do you truly believe that you are responsible for your own decisions, Jennifer Craw Snape?" Viviane challenged her evenly.

"Of course," Jennifer replied in kind.

"And that you and you alone are accountable for those decisions as well?" Viviane continued.

"Everyone should be accountable for their own decisions, yes," Jennifer agreed.

"Including yourself?" Viviane asked bluntly.

"Yes," Jennifer said. "And including you."

Viviane gazed at her fixedly for a moment until a thin unnerving smile crept onto her face. Without at word, she swept out of the room, Aurelius holding the door for her with a dark, stony expression.

"Well! That was rather… intense," Eric admitted when he couldn't come up with a politer word. "Jennifer, what ever did you do to get Lady Viviane so riled up?"

"Apparently nothing," Severus said calmly. "Have a nice evening, Jennifer. Oh, by the way, about whatever it is you girls are up to…"

"Yes, Severus?" Jennifer asked guardedly.

"More than one button," he advised. Jennifer flashed him a weak smile at that, as did Ashley.

"Well, we'll see," Jennifer said enigmatically before they slipped out the back.

"I should probably be going as well," Eric said quickly, getting up.

"I'll walk you down, Eric. I've had all I can take here," Aurelius said acidly, glaring at his father who seemed completely unconcerned as everyone filtered out of his study.

The moment they were all out of the room, Severus reached for his practically empty box of headache powders and a pulled out his practically depleted emergency bottle of Anise Wine, finishing them off before switching to Sagittari's herbal tea.


	39. Links to the Scabbard

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Links to the Scabbard

"Something on your mind, Aurelius?" Eric asked after getting tired of walking down the countless Hogwarts stairs next to someone who was obviously seething mad.

"Only that my father is an idiot," Aurelius snapped. Eric couldn't help but look slightly amused at that.

"A sentiment I'm sure everyone has felt at times. I know I felt that way about my own father often enough, until he died and I realized just how brilliant he was," Eric mused. Aurelius sighed.

"I wasn't talking in general so much as I am frustrated with how he's been handling his personal affairs lately, especially Mum," he muttered.

"Well, I think your mother probably doesn't need handled, Aurelius. She can handle herself very well, you know," Eric said.

"Really? Then why do you suppose Aunt Viviane is chomping at the bit to get at her right now?" Aurelius challenged him.

"Probably because she was the one who masterminded Merlin's rescue," Eric chuckled. Aurelius stopped short and stared at him. "Well, it was rather obvious. She was the only one in the room not jumping up to make a confession other than yourself."

"I had my own share of confessions earlier today," Aurelius said bitterly. Eric glanced at him curiously. "I took an expedition around to one of Owain's old properties and found out the hard way that Morgan le Fey still has magic descendents living there." Eric winced. "Apparently they felt they were immune to the Ministry because of some old sovereignty order or the like, so Draco took our side, especially after they tried to kill us."

"Sounds like you've had a full day," Eric agreed.

"I've had a full day since I made the mistake of picking up this sword in the first place," Aurelius grumbled.

"Hardly surprising. Wielding such a sword is definitely not for the weak of heart," Eric said quietly. "But I think it is in good hands. Even if the general public doesn't see it, I know it's a hard burden to take on, Aurelius. Just the weight of its legend all by itself is heavy, and it's lasted well over a thousand years."

"It would be a lot better if I could just finish this stupid quest for the scabbard so I can toss it back in for another thousand years," Aurelius muttered.

This time it was Eric who stopped short, staring at him in surprise.

"Your quest is to look for Caledfwlch's Scabbard?" Eric said. Aurelius simply nodded curtly, continuing towards the gates. "Well, why didn't anyone mention it to me before?" Aurelius paused and gazed at him fixedly.

"Why? Do you know something we don't?" Aurelius asked.

"As a matter of fact, I very well might," Eric said. "There's an old family legend about that scabbard. I have something at home to show you, although I suppose you're probably too fatigued to come tonight, aren't you?"

"If it'll help me find the scabbard, I'll come now," Aurelius said firmly. "Good thing I prepared some 'impromptu' quizzes for this type of emergency." Eric chuckled softly, following him outside the boundaries so that the two of them could Apparate to his house.

It was a very large house; three stories high like the Baker Street House yet twice as wide, and it was in a very nice neighborhood on the outskirts of Dover. Only a few scattered lights seemed to be on when they arrived, but they came alive as Eric led Aurelius through. He paused when he heard a glass break in the distance.

"Oh, Tonks is home," Eric grinned.

"Maybe she's in the kitchen?" Aurelius offered.

"No, she can't be. I only heard one glass break," Eric said. Aurelius snickered. "Although to be fair, I only hear them. She never seems to break anything when I'm around. No one knows quite why, but she doesn't," he shrugged. "Adora? Where are you? I have a guest," he called up the stairs.

"You do? Oh… ugh! Don't call me that when you have a guest! Honestly!" Tonks complained, coming down the steps. "Oh good, it's just you, Rel."

"Gee, thanks," Aurelius said sarcastically. "How's the mouse race?"

"Better since I convinced Harry I didn't rejoin the department to sit around and do his paperwork," Tonks snorted.

"She seems to prefer coming home singed," Eric said dryly.

"It's better than paper cuts," Tonks retorted. "So what's up?"

"I'm going to take Aurelius to the back room to show him the old maps," Eric said. "It should help him find what he's looking for so he can return that sword."

"Really? Sounds intriguing! I'll go get us some drinks," Tonks said.

"I can get Poggo to do that, Tonks…" Eric offered quickly.

"No, no, I got it," she insisted, wandering off. Sighing softly, Eric walked Aurelius further back. Just as he got to the door, there was a very loud crash coming from down the hall.

"That was the kitchen," Eric commented.

"Obviously," Aurelius smirked. "Ever thought of switching to paper or plastic or something?"

"Well, yes, but then I'd never be able to tell where she was in the house. The sound of glass breaking travels farther," Eric explained, leading him in.

The lights slowly brightened as Eric flicked his wand towards the fireplace to bring the smoldering embers back to life and tossing a log on the fire, well aware that Aurelius' eyes were above the mantle itself. Cradled in a pair of golden hands just above it was a beautiful sword that sent a curious tingle through Aurelius, and he realized in that moment that he would have recognized it even had he not already guessed Eric's lineage.

"Behold Arondight, sword of Lancelot himself," Eric said with a thin smile. "It's never left the family."

"It's beautiful," Aurelius commented sincerely. "Quite a few inches longer than Excalibur, isn't it?"

"A well known fact," Eric agreed. "It's an old running joke in the family that that's probably why Guinevere preferred Lance's sword to Arthur's." Aurelius gave him a dirty look. "Sorry, I suppose it is a rather crude joke."

"You said you wanted to show me something that would help me," Aurelius said flatly. "Yes, actually, because I happen to know the general location of Astolat, which is a possible resting place for that scabbard you're looking for," Eric said with a smile, shifting a painting of Galahad aside so he could get into his safe. "It's on the northwest side of Kent."

"Astolat? As in Elaine of Astolat? Wait, what does she have to do with this?" Aurelius said with exasperation.

"Practically everything, actually, if you believe my family legends at all," Eric said, finally getting the door open and searching through it.

"So far family legends have proved more reliable than the ones we've found in books," Aurelius admitted, watching as Eric pulled out a large yellowed map. Gently he rolled out the delicate parchment and slipped paperweights over the edges of it.

"I suppose you've heard the tale of Elaine pretending to be Guinevere to seduce Lancelot," Eric said.

"Right, and gave birth to Galahad," Aurelius said.

"From which our line came, obviously," Eric nodded. Aurelius squinted.

"Wait, I thought Galahad was celibate."

"I'm sure he was, for a great number of years. He grew up in a monastery and his dedication for his religion well known," Eric said solemnly. "Although the whole idea that he stayed celibate is obviously a fabrication of the Grail romance stories. Rather, when Arthur died and his father grew ill and the world that he grew up in fell into pieces, Galahad that he had to salvage what he could out of it. So he settled down and raised a family, hoping to instill his values and the ideals of Camelot in his children. And it's well that he did, or I suppose I wouldn't be here right now to show you this map of Elaine's kingdom," he smiled.

Just then, Tonks came in juggling three drinks in her hands and held them out right over the map.

"Thank you dear," Eric said, calmly taking his. "You all right, Aurelius?"

"Um, yes, thanks," Aurelius said, despite the fact that he had turned clammy and grey. He quickly grabbed the drink and stepped away from the map to minimize the risk of it spilling. Eric simply smiled thinly at him, while Tonks curiously stood right over the map with drink still in hand, ignoring Aurelius' reaction completely.

"At any rate, Elaine supposedly seduced him using magic according to every story I've encountered, but the problem with that is that Elaine herself wasn't magic," Eric continued. "Many speculated that Merlin was behind it to try and distract Lancelot from Elaine, but the timing was wrong… Merlin disappeared before that. No, it was Morgan who helped with this plot, and her reasons were twofold; first, to get even with Guinevere for having her thrown out of Arthur's court and ban her from returning, and second, to entice Elaine to steal the scabbard for her, not only to make it easier for someone to defeat Arthur in battle as many supposed, but it her intention to give the scabbard to Mordred, fashioning a sword in Excalibur's likeness and insuring his victory and his eventual ascension to the throne.

"But things went sour before Elaine ever delivered the scabbard. Lancelot discovered that he had been tricked, and resented Elaine's obvious attempts at conceiving to force him into a marriage he didn't want. It also didn't help that it didn't take Lancelot long to piece together where Arthur's missing scabbard had gone. The thought of betraying Arthur in such a way enraged him, and it wasn't long before he went to accuse her of the theft. He demanded it back, and Elaine told him that he could only have it back were he to pledge to her and denounce Guineviere for seducing him. As you can imagine, he refused, so it was she who let the scabbard fall from her hands into one of the small lakes of Astolat."

"What? Where is this place?" Aurelius said, and would have spilled his own drink on the map had Tonks not neatly caught it and set it aside for him.

"It is my belief this land had been centered within the Ebbsfleet Valley… especially considering this northern line up here, which I believe is probably the mouth of the Thames," he said, tapping the water at the northern part of the old map. "The old tales of her death said they floated her down a river on when she died, and although I can't believe she floated down the Thames itself, a river flowing into the estuary makes sense because then they would be attempting to float her out to sea, a rather honorable way to go in those days, really. At any rate, it is said that in ancient times there were a number of small pools and lakes that came out of that area… these on the map."

"Wait a minute, you said in ancient times. They're not there now?"

"I'm afraid that entire area has been industrialized for years, Aurelius," Eric said, Aurelius frowning at him. "The good news is that they've been working on revitalizing that area, and in the process have dug up quite a great many artifacts from the stone age on up, including an entire Roman village, which I believe was constructed on the burnt remains of my ancestors' village. Everything that has come out of there so far supports my belief that it is the right location."

"Do you mind if I get a copy of this?" Aurelius asked. "Which of these lakes on your map do you suppose is most likely?"

"The one closest to where the castle would have been, I should think," Eric asked, bringing out his own wand and making a copy for him. "It might be rough going looking for it. The spring is still there, but most of the lakes that came from it have dried up, although the river itself should be easy enough to find. On top of that, it is a rather populated area, and it is only a family legend, after all. Who knows if it has any true bearing on what happened…"

"No, it's right. Everything about this feels right," Aurelius said with certainty, taking one last look at his copy before rolling it up.

"Anything I can do to help?" Tonks asked.

"Not unless you want to teach tomorrow, no," Aurelius said.

"Well, I am off tomorrow. What do you think, Eric? Is it okay if I substitute teach if it's not full time?" Tonks asked.

"Do you really think either Balmweed or Coventry would let it go without commenting on it?" Eric inquired.

"No, but it's not like they wouldn't find something else to complain about," Tonks shrugged.

"Oh, very well! But Aurelius, you owe me one," Eric said.

"If this lead pans out, I'll owe you a lot more than that. Thanks," Aurelius said.

"It was just as well that you mentioned it to me, Aurelius. I'm really not sure anyone else could have helped," Eric admitted. "Perhaps it was fate," he added mischievously.

"You had to say that, didn't you," Aurelius said flatly.

"Absolutely," Eric said with a serious smile. "You looked as if you needed to be reminded of what you're up against."

"Gee, thanks," Aurelius said sarcastically, then walked out of the room. "See you tomorrow, Adora."

"HEY!" Tonks said following him out of the room. Eric sighed when it was immediately followed by a loud crash. "Eric! See what you started?"

"I'm sure he'll be too busy to remember it in the morning," Eric reassured her, gently rolling up the map and ignoring the cursing he was hearing outside the door. He paused to look up at the sword, lost in thought a moment, before finally putting the map safely back behind the painting.

* * *

"Could you please just slow down a little?" Aurelius said for the tenth time. A pair of loud sighs could be heard from the back seat of Alex's car as Joanie and Jamie tried unsuccessfully to ignore his complaining.

"Good grief, Rel, the speed limit is seventy on the motorway. I'll slow down when get off of it. It's going to be much faster going this way than if we tried taking the A roads all the way over…"

"What is this if not a road?" Aurelius complained, bracing himself every time she changed lanes.

"She's not all that bad of a driver, Rel. Not as good as Dad, maybe, but still not bad," Jaime said.

"At the very least, she's not as bad as Granddad," Joanie put in and the two of them began giggling.

"Would you both stop acting like school girls? I don't know about you, but I would like to die in some way a bit more meaningful than a stupid automobile accident," Aurelius said.

"Typical Auror sentiment, he wants die in a blaze of glory," Alex snorted, glancing at the GPS and went down the ramp, while Aurelius was still busy trying to fold his paper map so that he could read it properly. "All right, according to the maps, the river we want runs along this road for awhile, so keep your eyes out."

"Just keep your eyes on the road," Aurelius complained.

"I am never letting you ride shotgun again, Rel," Alex said flatly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

"Just look out the window!" Alex said with exasperation. "And let me know when we're getting close."

"All I see are a bunch of houses," Jamie said.

"I see a lots of railways," Joanie said, and Jamie peeked over the other side.

"And an unsightly amount of giant power lines, sticking out of over-cultivated farmlands." Aurelius said glumly.

"There do seem to be a lot over there, aren't there?" Jamie said. "Wait! Look over there! Is that a lake?"

"I think that's a golf course," Joanie said, and Jamie slumped. "It was probably put there, probably not natural."

"Doesn't seem to be much natural about this entire area," Aurelius sighed, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes for a moment.

"Come on, Rel, you can't expect an area to just stay same for centuries on end, humans don't work like that," Alex said. "I wouldn't surprised if the river itself has moved over time, especially if your map is right… seems the area on your map is further south than this river is showing for some reason."

"We might as well look since we're here. After all, what could it hurt?" Joanie shrugged.

"What can it help?" Aurelius sighed.

"Well, we won't know until we try, Rel, and I for one am not in this just for the drive," Alex said. "For some reason, I don't think you are either."

"Hullo, I don't see the river anymore," Joanie said.

"Yes, but I think we're near where we should be now," Alex agreed. "Come on, let's find a place to pull over. In the meantime, Aurelius, I think you need to try and figure out a way to scale that map of yours."

"I doubt they truly understood the value of scale back then," Aurelius said.

"Oh, nonsense. They had waged battles, didn't they? They would have to have some measure of proportion," Alex said, finally pulling off the road. "Besides, there's probably some sort of spell out there that does something like that, isn't there?"

"Perhaps. I think I know an Arithmantics spell that I can adapt," Aurelius murmured, pulling a book out of his pocket thoughtfully.

"Mind if we have a bit of a look around while you're doing that?" Jamie asked, and Aurelius waved them off. Glancing at Jamie, the two of them decided to walk along the road for a bit. "Well, look on the bright side. At least we're not in for an underground trip this time."

"True, but possibly underwater," Joanie said.

"Doesn't look like there is all that much water here now, is there? Not standing pools like they are in that map Rel has," Jamie said. "It's all gone underground. Who knows, what we're looking for might be buried under layers upon layers of sediment."

"Well, I'm not digging," Joanie said firmly. "This really does seem to be turning more futile by the hour, Dalance's help or not. Let's face it, Jamie, this isn't the sort of quest anyone can do anymore in the modern age, not successfully, at any rate. There's just too much… well, too much everything."

"I suppose the world was much simpler then," Jamie agreed. "But in some ways more complicated, I'm sure, when the Fae races were more prevalent. I wonder what it'd have been like to live back then?"

"You wouldn't like it," Joanie decided. "Women's lib is a new concept, after all, and I for one would not give up modern bathrooms for anything," she said. Jamie chuckled at that.

"If you had gotten stuck with a quest like Rel, what do you suppose you'd have done?" Jamie asked.

"Well, I wouldn't get myself roped into finding that silly scabbard," Joanie swore. "I think I'd try to find something a bit easier like… a gnome in grandfather's back yard."

"For some reason, I don't think that'd count," Jamie grinned.

"Why not? I bet I could find one easily," Joanie said.

"That's just the point. I don't think these quests are meant to be easy," Jamie said. "And the act of just going on one should teach you something… about yourself, and the world around you… experience gained by actually getting out and doing things, and trying to better yourself."

"Well, yes, I rather agree with you, actually. But I'm not sure Aurelius is getting anything out of this at all, except maybe an even worse temper than he already had," Joanie said.

"Maybe," Jamie said thoughtfully, glancing back over to where Alex and Aurelius were sitting in the shade of the car. "Or maybe he is getting more out of it than we know. I'm not quite sure yet."

"You never said what you would choose for a quest. You must have had something in mind, considering you brought it up," Joanie said.

"I was thinking perhaps I'd go on a quest to answer why the sword exists at all," Jamie said.

"Why does any sword exist at all?" Joanie snorted.

"Or maybe I'd want to know the answer to something that's been bugging me ever since Aurelius got a hold of that sword in the first place," Jamie admitted. "If you were asked to wield a sword that supposedly made you invincible, and instead of fighting an outside opponent, you chose to fight yourself, could you ever truly win?"

"And could you truly ever lose?" Joanie asked with amusement. "You know, I think you'd end up spending your whole life trying to figure that one out."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Jamie decided. "Glad he's stuck with it and not me."

"Oh, me too," Joanie agreed with a grin.

"Come on, you two, stop mucking about in that field," Aurelius said impatiently. "I think I've got it worked out. I had to use the Thames as pinpoint to measure distance since it's the only thing we know is still there. The shore has probably moved a bit, but at the very least I was able to get some general distances worked out and transferred them on the regular road map."

"Yes, we're a bit too far east, so we'll need to take the car again," Alex said.

"Fine, but when we're done with this little outing, I'll Disapparate home," Aurelius complained as they piled back in.

When they finally began to close in to the intersection that matched the distance the closest, Alex frowned. She had actually guessed before they had even gotten there where the line Aurelius had made on the map would lead to, so she immediately pulled into the parking lot, ignoring Aurelius' confusing directions which would have had them trying to go off road. Instead, she parked the car and got out, staring at the building in front of her.

"Links-On-The-Green Golf Club at Southfleet," Joanie read off a sign as they also got out of the car. "It's a golf course."

"And the lake closest to the castle would have been right in the middle of it," Aurelius sighed. "So would two of the others, come to think of it."

"Perhaps one of the ponds in there is a natural one?" Jamie suggested hopefully.

"Do you really want to be digging through piles of soggy golf balls to find out?" Aurelius said. "Let's face it, we've reached another dead end."

But Alex hadn't moved. She was still staring at the building, and while everyone else became resigned to Aurelius' conclusion, Alex looked all the more determined.

"Come on. Time to play some golf, looks like," she said.

"You've got to be joking," Aurelius said flatly.

"A dead end isn't dead until we are, Aurelius. We're going to play it through," Alex decided.

"Would it even be open this early in the year?" Jamie said.

"It does seem to be," Alex said. "The sign says it's open in March weather permitting, and there are several other cars here. I imagine they opened early because of the warm weather."

"But what if it's a private club?" Joanie asked.

"I doubt it with a name like that," Jamie said. "Probably pay-and-play."

"But we don't even have any golf clubs," Joanie pointed out.

"Well, let's get in the car boot and find things to transfigure into some," Alex said. "Rel, you'll need to transfigure the sword too. I doubt you'll be able to get that thing in there without question."

"Even if I was comfortable with transfiguring this sword…which I'm not… I am _not_ hitting golf balls with Excalibur," Rel said firmly.

"Of course not, silly, it's just to disguise it," Alex said, pulling out the stroller. "Besides, Mum transfigures the Craw family dagger all the time when it suits her, and that thing has so many curses on it they made her take _two_ permits out on it. I don't think it'll hurt it, Rel."

"I doubt much of anything can hurt it," Jamie agreed.

"Assuming it works at all," Aurelius said.

"Well, no time like the present, have at it," Alex said, while she concentrated on the stroller, smiling triumphantly when the fabric easily reformed itself into a golf bag while the metal framework formed the clubs. "Excellent! That was easy," she said, turning to watch as Aurelius reluctantly turned his attention to the sword.

Part of him hoped it wouldn't work, despite the fact that he knew the only other alternative would be to leave it behind. Even though the spell seemed to hesitate at first as if it wasn't going to work, the sword finally decided to oblige the change, and Aurelius found himself gazing at a nine iron with a gorgeous bronze grip.

"Well done, Aurelius! At least there will be no mistaking which one it is," Alex said. "Everyone ready?"

"Yes, except for one thing," Joanie said. "Does anyone actually know how to play?"

"Funny," Aurelius said, despite his sour expression.

"Not me," Jamie shrugged.

"Oh, come on! All we have to do is hit the ball in the hole. How hard can it be?" Alex said as they went in.

The other three very quickly learned to stay far away from Alex when she was attempting to tee off.

"I wonder what sort of shape the stroller is going to be in when we get done?" Joanie asked when Alex lost her grip on the club for the third time.

"We're just going to play until we get close enough to that lake to take a look without everyone wondering why we're over there," Aurelius said as Alex finally hit the ball and he grabbed a club at random.

Joanie and Jamie exchanged glances when he pulled out the bronze, making a silent pact not to say anything as he walked away. He gazed at the flag in the distance a moment and then delivered a powerful swing that sent the ball sailing through the air and right onto the green, the momentum causing the ball to roll into the hole.

"Wow, nice shot!" Jamie said, stunned.

"Hey, can I use that club?" Joanie asked brightly. But from her gaze, Aurelius realized which club he had in his hand and suddenly became annoyed.

"No," Aurelius said, deciding to carry it rather than put it back in the bag as they moved up.

"Maybe just once?" Joanie coaxed again.

"No," Aurelius said. But he couldn't help but be a bit bored having to wait for the girls to finish and frowned fixedly at the lake a couple of holes away.

"We're done!" Alex said cheerfully. "I finally made it in on the tenth try! Not bad for a first timer, eh?"

"It's par three, Alex," Aurelius said flatly. "Forget it, it's not like we're keeping score."

"Maybe not, but we are being watched," Jamie said, directing his attention to a greenskeeper, leaning on a cart in the distance.

"Probably needed the comic relief," Aurelius said, bringing out his ball and whacking it with the same strength as before. This time, the ball barely wasted anytime on the green, nearly landing in the cup from the air. "Well, come on, let's move it up, we should be over there next."

"Showoff," Alex muttered, moving out of the way so that Jamie could make her hit. "I'd like to see you try that with a different club." Joanie, for her part, was busy watching the greenskeeper curiously, for as they made their final shots and began walking to the next, he walked over to where they had just played with some sort of stick in his hand about the size of a ruler.

"What do you suppose he's doing?" Joanie asked.

"Who knows? Greenskeeper stuff," Aurelius said unconcernedly. "Do you suppose you could manage to hit a ball in that lake?"

"A lot easier than I could hit that little hole, I should think," Joanie agreed, walking over and shifting slightly to the side as she hit the ball and it went sailing into the water.

"Well done," Aurelius said as he walked over.

"What? You criticize me for ten shots, and you tell her well done for putting it into the water without the slightest hint of sarcasm?" Alex complained.

"I did it on purpose," Joanie said proudly.

"Right, now we have a reason to go over there. Well done, Joanie," Jamie agreed as they began to walk over.

"Wait! Can't we at least finish this hole first? I was just starting to get the hang of it!" Alex protested, but she followed them to the side of the water.

"What an odd color!" Jamie said.

"What's wrong with the color?" Alex asked.

"It's blue," Aurelius said, kneeling down, putting his hand in the water. "A bit too blue. Some sort of dye, I imagine."

"That can't be good for the environment," Alex said, scrunching up her nose.

"Does that mean it's an artificial lake then after all?" Jamie asked.

"Partially. I imagine a lot of this water was diverted from the underground spring," Aurelius sighed. "At the very least, it has been moved, I think. I told you it was casting in the dark, Alex."

"We had to try it," Alex said. "We have to try everything."

"I know, Alex," Aurelius said, standing up. "You were right to want to try it. If we had left without going in, I probably would have done nothing but wondered if we had just missed it somehow."

"Good mornin'!" called someone behind them. "The lady lost one to the lake, I take it? I got a couple o' repaints on me, if you like. It'll save you a trip to the club," he offered.

"Thank you, that's very kind of you," Alex said, smiling warmly at the greenskeeper.

"No trouble. I've been waiting for you folks to play out to measure the green," he said as he lead them over to the cart.

"We're sorry! We didn't realize you were waiting on us," Jamie said sincerely.

"No trouble, ma'am, I know how nice it can be to get out on the green after it's been so cold and grey for months. I expect there will be a lot comin' out to get their handicappers and they'll want it measured, especially since we've only been open the one season 'afore, there's probably been some settling."

"Measured?" Joanie asked curiously. "With that ruler?"

"Ah, no," he chuckled, turning the stick over. "It's a stimpmeter, you see? The ball runs down the channel and onto the green. By measuring how far it goes, we can tell the speed of the green."

"That's fascinating!" Alex said with obvious interest.

"I bet this young Tiger over here could have told you that," the greenskeeper said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "I'm sure the last thing you probably want to hear is advice from a greenskeeper, sir, but as a former caddy, I'd like to say that the ladies would be a lot more impressed if you taught them the right way how to play golf than they are with your hitting eagles. Here you are, miss, one to play, and a spare just in case."

"Thank you!" Joanie said. "How much for these?"

"Ah, no, my pleasure. The lake takes away but it always gives them back in the end, it's only fair," he said. "We drained the lake for maintenance a few months back. It really made gathering them right easy, and you wouldn't believe just how many of these cumulated in that lake in one season's time."

"Drained it?" Aurelius repeated.

"Aye, they had to do a bit of work on it because of settling, but as you can see, we're all ready to go now. And so are you miss, unless there is anything else, of course?"

"Not unless you happened to pull any bronze scabbards out of that lake," Aurelius said dryly, and the greenskeeper laughed.

"Were I that lucky, no. Those people from University were quite thorough about searching the entire property after they found the one, I'm sorry to say. I doubt there will be any more such discoveries like when they broke ground on the course." The four of them stared at him a moment and then glanced at Aurelius, who seemed to be boring into him with his eyes. Luckily, Alex quickly recovered.

"Well, thank you for all your help! We are sorry we took so much of your time today," Alex said.

"Yes, thanks for the golf balls, too," Joanie added.

"I hope you'll be seeing us again. We'll be starting up new membership at the end of April if you decide you like it here, it'll save you money in the long run, you know," he said, tipping his cap as he got back into his cart and drove off.

"We like it here very much, especially the service, thank you!" Jamie said.

"Enjoy your game of Ambrose. I think I'll pop off for a short break while I wait for you to hole out."

"Game of Ambrose?" Aurelius repeated with disbelief.

"Isn't that ironic?" Alex said with interest.

"Never mind that! Aurelius, what did he mean by people from the University?" Jamie insisted.

"They found it," Aurelius said, looking over at them. "They found the scabbard a couple of years ago when they were building this place. It was in a layer of sediment, along with some pottery and things like that. They thought from the bronze work that it was Roman and turned the whole area over looking for other things before they would let the golf course build here."

"Where is it now?" Alex said.

"Come on," Aurelius said, throwing the golf bag over his shoulder. "Looks like we have to trust Alex's driving one last time."

They got to the car as quickly as possible, walking rather than popping out since they were a bit afraid that the groundskeeper might still be keeping an eye on them. When they got to the car, Alex insisted on a place name, ignoring Aurelius' attempts at finding it on a paper map and trusting her guidance system instead to get them there. Aurelius didn't complain when Alex pushed the speed limit this time. He was quiet impatient to get inside the museum, reluctantly locking up the sword in the back with several Auror wards on it, but unwilling to wait for Alex to make inquiries at the information desk. Instead he quickly paid the fee and began to wander around.

"It might not be out on display right now, you know. Especially where they found it," Jamie said. "They might even still be cleaning it up."

"It's out here. I know it is," Aurelius said, and then Alex walked over. With only a glance in their direction and a tour map in her hand, Alex took a side corridor to an exhibit of Watling Street artifacts and stopped short just beyond. For there in a special box case on the wall was the scabbard itself, void of all patina and glinting beautifully from the display lights.

"There can be no doubt this is it," Jamie said quietly. "Only magic could explain why the scabbard isn't green. The museum certainly wouldn't have removed any patina."

"No, they wouldn't have," Alex agreed, glancing at the reading plates below the exhibit. "It says here they're blaming the chemical makeup of the soil on its preservation."

"That's some preservation," Jamie said.

"Never mind that, how are we going to possibly get it out of here?" Joanie hissed.

"The Ministry has special channels for this sort of thing, actually," Jamie explained. "All we'd need to do is go to the Artifacts department and fill some forms, and they'll go through government channels to talk to the museum and have the piece removed and back into magic hands."

"But that will take months," Alex hissed.

"Not only that, but do you really think if the Artifacts department get a hold of that scabbard that they'd be willing to let me chuck it in back in the Lake? They've been trying to get their hands on the sword as it is! We can't go through the Ministry on this," Aurelius said, shaking his head. "We've been tricked. I don't want to believe it, but it's the truth. We've been had."

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked.

"Viviane knew all along where the scabbard was, Alex. She probably guessed that Elaine had something to do with it. She knew where Astolat was, and she knew when the scabbard resurfaced what it was and where it had been taken. She just didn't know how she was going to get it out of here. So what did she do? She set us up so we would have to steal it back for her. Another member of the Craw family, manipulated into being her little mercenary and I absolutely hate it!" Aurelius growled.

"Well, let's call her on that! We shouldn't have to complete it if she set us up," Joanie said.

"It's not that simple, Joanie. I agreed to the quest according to Merlin's part of the charm. I won't be able to throw this sword back until it's completed. I have no choice," Aurelius said.

"Then we'll have to go through the Ministry channels and somehow convince them to give the scabbard up, Rel. We'd never get away with stealing something like this without either the Muggles or the Ministry finding out about it, and we'll be homed in on for sure if we cast any spells at all in here. We'll all end up in the Tower, and worse, we'll lose our Auror licenses… for good, this time," Jamie said.

"They'd never give up the scabbard," Alex murmured after they had paused to let several other visitors through. "The Artifacts department, I mean."

"No… no, they wouldn't," Aurelius agreed.

"So what's the alternative? I mean, I suppose I could try it, since in some ways I'd have the least amount to lose by this, short of having to visit Jacob behind bars," Joanie said. "But I just wouldn't know how to go about it, magic or not. I mean, seriously. How many people do you actually know who could slip in a place like this with all the gadgets and cameras the Muggles have these days, get the scabbard, and slip back out without using so much magic that every bell and whistle in the Ministry would go off?"

"I do know one," Aurelius said at last. "Come on. I think it's time we got Father up to speed on all of this."


	40. Knowing Where to Turn

Chapter Forty

Knowing Where to Turn

Bright and early Tuesday morning, Severus glanced up from his desk just in time to see Thomas reach the top of the spiral stairs, Adler Bosworth a few steps behind him.

"Good morning, Thomas. I wasn't expecting to see you today. Care for some coffee?" Severus asked casually.

"Long as it's the castle brew and not that stuff Jen-girl makes," Thomas said with distaste. "Adler is here to conduct a few inquiries, if you don't mind, Severus."

"The two of you are making inquiries, and not any of your enforcers? I take it it's something serious, then," Severus said, standing up.

"Actually, I'm just here to make certain you allow Adler to make those inquiries, Severus. Considering it involves several members of our family, I am otherwise staying out of it," Thomas said.

"Oh?" Severus asked.

"Yes, Professor," Adler said, after Thomas seemed more interested in getting coffee than continuing. "You see, there was a very strange report of grand theft concerning one of the museums in London. Someone stole an artifact straight out of its case without triggering any alarms or devices of any kind. It was an ornate bronze scabbard, which the Muggles reported as having unusual properties, such as having a lack of any signs of oxidation. As I was explaining to Minister Craw this morning, I found that extremely suspicious, considering that your son has licenses in effect with the Ministry looking for a scabbard very similar in description."

"That is a rather interesting coincidence, I'll admit. Perhaps someone is working against his efforts to recover it. I am in favor of your informing Aurelius of it," Severus agreed.

"You don't believe he might have been involved in its disappearance?" Adler asked.

"No, I would say it is unlikely. Why would anyone go through that much trouble to get permits to look for the thing only then to steal it? All they would have to do is report the finding to the Ministry, and they would have taken care of it. If he had been planning to do anything underhanded, I seriously doubt he would have gotten the initial permits. Being that I have had to get a similar license myself when I was helping with the Solomon project, I can tell you that it is no easy task to get such paperwork, so why go to all the trouble? Not to mention it would be highly out of character for Aurelius to do anything of the sort," Severus said.

"I've been telling him the same thing myself, Severus," Thomas grunted. "Although I think it would be in everyone's best interests if you would let Adler do his job and discuss the matter with him and others in your staff… to eliminate the possibility if for no other reason."

"Very well," Severus sighed, getting out a piece of paper and scribbling a note on it. "But only between classes and during staff conference times, Adler. I would prefer it if you didn't interrupt my school schedule over this."

"Quite acceptable, Severus. After all, this is only an informal inquiry," Adler agreed, thanking him for the note and excusing himself from the room.

Thomas watched him go, then watched as the door closed behind him before setting aside his cup and turning back to look at Severus, lacing his fingers together.

"So?" Thomas asked.

"So what?" Severus repeated.

"So you were going to tell me just how you managed to keep John Carnegie's tracking flag from going off in the Ministry when he paid his little visit to London last night," Thomas said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Severus said evenly.

"Let's just say Adler isn't the only one playing hunches this morning," Thomas said, meeting his gaze steadily. "On our way up, we happened to see Carnegie whitewashing the ceilings in the main corridors and I happened to mention that I heard a 'rumor' that his husband was going to be reevaluated as a court guardian again. He didn't seem at all surprised… he was quite cheerful about it, as a matter of fact. So I have this hunch that if I happened to look through that neat stack of papers in front of you at this very moment, there is probably a copy of the recommendation you're working on to encourage the Ministry to do just that. You can deny it of course, Severus, but considering that sort of court appointment has to cross my desk to be approved and I'll be looking specifically for it, I will more than likely know for certain by the end of the week that you put Carnegie up to stealing that scabbard… probably to save Aurelius from all the time and headaches that would have come from going through the Artifacts department," he mused.

"And just why, may I ask, are you so convinced it was John who did it?" Severus asked.

"It was the lack of evidence, actually," Thomas admitted, reaching for his cup again. "He's the only professional cat burglar I know who takes so much pride in what he does that he is meticulous about leaving without a trace. The man doesn't leave so much as fur or hair follicle behind let alone any fingerprints, detectable hexes or charms. On top of that, out of the handful I have on file capable of pulling off a stunt like that, he's the only one of them employed at Hogwarts. Do you have anything other than black licorice in that?" Severus grimaced slightly and offered him a different tray of candy, deciding it would be wise just to let the man gloat for a moment.

"At any rate, I wouldn't worry too much about Adler's investigation," Thomas went on, "not that I don't think that he won't come to the same conclusion I did eventually, he's fairly intelligent when it comes to that. But short of a confession from any party involved in this, we don't have enough evidence to even follow up on an investigation let alone prosecute, and I'm certainly not going to say anything. I rather like my job, actually. It's been good for me having a nice legal way to get even with all those bastards that's given me hell over the years. It rather gives me a sense of satisfaction putting those demons to rest," he admitted, finishing his coffee and setting it down as he got up. "So you won't catch me accusing the head of the Auror department at helping his daughter by slipping John's flag off the Ministry tracker for the evening, considering I was the one who appointed Harry to the post to begin with. When I do decide to leave this job, I'd prefer to leave it on my own terms. Have a good day, Severus. Ask my daughter to stop by the house sometime." Severus simply nodded, knowing better than to comment at all.

"Good thing he's on our side," Armando commented when Thomas left.

"No, he's on his own side, which just happens to include me at the moment," Severus said, pulling at the guardianship recommendation and putting it back on top of his pile. "Hopefully it'll always stay that way, because I would prefer it if I never got on his bad side again."

* * *

When it came time for lunch, Jennifer gathered up her OWLS notes, schedules and interview sheets and slipped out the parapet door to keep from running into Adler in the halls. From there she hurried down the steps and crossed over to the North Tower and back up to find that Icarus had already laid out her lunch.

"Good afternoon, Jennifer. And how is your day so far?"

"Hectic," Jennifer sighed. "Adler was nosing about trying to figure out what happened last night, and honestly, I really need to keep my attention on school right now that everything in the outside world is back on track."

"And such a splendid job you've done of it, Jennifer," Icarus smiled, floating through his own table to sit down. "Not only fixing things that needed fixed, but veering everything back on course. Even the stars are beginning to read true again, and all the tools in my classes are moving in much more expected patterns."

"Well, I'm very glad, because frankly, I'm quite exhausted with all the running around I've been doing," Jennifer admitted. "But now that the scabbard has been found, Merlin is back, Ambrose is finally learning who he is on his own terms, and Lucky is truly starting to realize that people really do care about her after all, honestly, I'm quite content to let fate choose its own course again."

"And did you get anything out of it at all, Jennifer?" Icarus asked. "I mean, considering everything you've been doing for others, I don't think I've ever heard you mention anything about changing anything in your own future."

"No, actually, I haven't. I haven't even been tempted to look, to be honest," Jennifer admitted. "I rather like my life the way it is now, and I really don't want it to change."

"And here I was rather hoping that this experiment of yours would help your fear of the future, and yet it seems to have had no affect on it at all," Icarus said thoughtfully.

"No, not really, no," Jennifer admitted. "Because it has done nothing but prove to me that fate really can change. We can step off the path and chose to go against it, no matter what fate has in store for us. The funny thing about it is that Severus finds that fact reassuring. I don't."

"Even if it means that you can use that fact to make a difference in the lives of those around you?" Icarus asked with a thin smile.

"Oh, well, theirs I don't mind it changing so much," Jennifer admitted with a chuckle, then shook her head. "What a horrible person I am, Ick! What right do I have to interfere with anyone's fate, even if I did save lives and heartache in the process?"

"The right of any human, I suppose," Icarus smiled. "Jennifer, everyone interferes in other people's lives in some way."

"No, what I did was more than that," Jennifer sighed. "Perhaps Aurelius has been right all along."

"And what of Severus?" Icarus asked.

"Severus hasn't said a word about any of it, short of professional inquiries as to how the project was going," Jennifer said. "In fact, he's been so quiet I have been feeling extremely guilty about the whole thing, especially after that scene with Viviane the other day. In any case, it did help me make up my mind. I don't feel right about going behind Severus' back about this for so long, even knowing that I would never have accomplished as much had I told him the truth from the beginning. So I'm going to finish up my research… and by that I mean my academic research this time. Hopefully I can turn in my notes, the rough draft, and the Obol in by the end of the week. Then I'm going to tell him what I've really been doing and hope he doesn't turn around and send me packing for good."

"I doubt very much that you are truly in any danger of that, Jennifer," he smiled.

"Maybe not, although if it did happen there would be one small consolation," Jennifer decided, picking up her things and standing up.

"Which is?" Icarus asked.

"The fact that I wouldn't have to be afraid of it anymore," Jennifer said with a thin smile. "Especially after the unfeeling brute has gone out of his way to make me fall in love with him all over again," she added with a chuckle as she left.

Icarus floated through and watched her descend the stairs before turning back in to get ready for his next class. It was then that he paused as a shimmer…or perhaps a shadow… crossed the surface of a mirror hanging on the wall, but when he studied it further, nothing else appeared.

* * *

The unseasonably warm weather combined with the low clouds over the ocean resulted in a thick mist that blanketed the entire island of Anglesey. Solemnly, Aurelius, Alex, Joanie and Jamie Apparated in a comfortable distance away then walked silently to the edge of the Lake, starting at it in the dark haze.

Aurelius took out the sword and found himself staring at it, marveling how even as dim as it was it seemed to catch the light around them, awestruck by its beauty and its strength, and faced with a very overwhelming desire not to do what he knew he had to do.

"The quest is done. I have returned the scabbard of Arthur back to its mate Caledfwlch… known now as Excalibur. May they never again be separated; and may the next time this sword is drawn be filled with meaning and true need, and may its new owner uses its power wisely and in the best interests of man. I have come to return it to the waters until that day comes. May fate guard it; but never overpower it, for a sword is only as capable as its owner and only as great as the one who chooses not to use it," Aurelius said in a raised yet calm voice. With that, Aurelius took one last look at the sword and scabbard, attempting to calm his beating heart, and taking one last breath threw both towards the center of the small lake.

But when the sword got to its mark, it suddenly stopped inches above the water and spun in circles like a shiny top on a glass floor.

"Shouldn't it have gone down by now?" Jamie asked in a low voice.

"In all the stories I've heard about, a hand is supposed to reach up and grab it and pull it down," Joanie whispered back.

Aurelius began to frown, watching it spinning in air.

"You know what, and I could be wrong," Alex said in a tone that had gotten on Aurelius' nerves since they were kids. "But I'm starting to think maybe Aunt Viviane isn't at home at the moment."

"Not at home?" Aurelius repeated. "What do you mean she's not at home?"

"Well, you have to admit, she has been wandering about a lot lately," Alex went on.

"She's not allowed to be 'not at home!' After everything we went through to get that stupid scabbard!"

"It wasn't all that bad. A small dragon attack, a small run-in with necromancers and a golf game," Joanie said.

"Pity she's not home though, considering the fantastic speech he just gave," Alex put in glumly.

"What are we going to do now?" Jamie asked. "We can't just leave it there, but if any of us are caught with that scabbard, we're finished."

"Not to mention the fact that we'd get the Professor into trouble as well," Joanie said.

"And Adler has been poking around the school," Aurelius said, summoning the sword and scabbard back with a spell. "I imagine she's 'not here' on purpose. She expects us to get caught with it. Well, that's well and fine, but thanks to Mum's interference, we have one more card we can play."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"Follow me," Aurelius said, Disapparating.

* * *

It had taken Merlin an hour after Severus had left on the twenty-eighth to figure out exactly how Toby's Trinkets actually worked, and another half hour to stop giggling and commending himself with just how brilliant he was for coming up with it. After that, and armed with both Ashley and Severus' contributions as to what he needed to know, Merlin rolled up his sleeves and began to try and make some sense out of the notes upon the wall. It had been easy to get into a routine, for Ashley seemed to have her own mind on what that would be. Every morning at seven, she would show up with a hearty breakfast, staying long enough to eat with him and answer his questions. At noon, she would drop in long enough to say hello when she went to give Mr. Dimple his lunch, and at seven in the evening, just before dinner, she would come by to drop off another basket of food and to gently scold him for not eating all day.

The time in between her appearances, Merlin… or Toby, as he had once again become… got busy organizing the notes into some sort of working order, and in the process of piecing together that puzzle, he began to piece together the years he had been missing. Notes that he read began to seem familiar; especially after a good night's rest, and by that Wednesday morning, he was beginning to feel more reassured that he would be able to get back all his missing past memories and perhaps in the process learn what had caused the curious gap in the first place.

It was easier to get enthusiastic about going through the notes now that he was beginning to understand them better, completely absorbed in finding a place to put the more esoteric messages that he didn't stir until his stomach rather than the clock let him know that it wouldn't be long before Ashley would drop in with his dinner. Because of it, he was not at all surprised to hear Halcyon's happy greeting as someone came in.

But when he looked up, he blinked and adjusted his glasses in surprise, for instead of Ashley; it was a handsome dark-haired man with grey-green eyes, wearing an expression that betrayed he was older than he looked. Behind him came three ladies, two fairly good-looking in appearance and another who was stunning, all three of them wearing dark cloaks and solemn expressions of their own.

"Um… good evening," Toby said with a thin smile. "I'm afraid I'm not quite open for business just yet. Perhaps in a week or two?"

"Actually, this is a more personal matter," Aurelius said evenly. "And it can't wait."

"Oh, well, I suppose I don't blame you for not wanting to wait. Waiting is a such a waste of time better spent doing other things," Toby said conversationally, but Aurelius' expression hadn't changed. "How may I be of service?"

Aurelius immediately responded by putting Excalibur on the counter, sheathed in its scabbard. Toby gazed at it fixedly for a moment before looking up again.

"So, you must be Aurelius," he said at last, then glanced about. "That must mean you girls are Joanie and Jamie…and this must be your sister. She looks very much like her mother. But why, may I ask, did you bring this here?"

"Because we need your help," Aurelius said. "We went to throw the sword back, only Viviane wasn't there to accept it," he explained, Toby furrowing his brows at that. "You see, the scabbard ended up in a museum, which she knew about, and the whole reason she wanted us to quest for it was to steal it for her so she could get it back."

"I see, and apparently you chose to do so," Toby said in a disapproving tone.

"Well, not us personally," Aurelius said, but Toby still didn't look impressed. "The sword doesn't belong out now, sir. What did you expect us to do? It's not as if we wanted to play along with her little scheme, but we swallowed our pride and integrity and got it back anyhow, because we thought it was more important to get this sword back where it belonged. Only now she's gone and left us holding both, despite the fact we finished the quest and found what she was looking for."

"Which means if any of us get caught with that scabbard, we're going to end up in the Tower and our fathers are going to end up fired," Jamie said with a sigh.

"Except mine, but he won't be happy," Joanie said somberly.

"One moment. Severus was in this as well?" Toby frowned.

"Who do you think arranged it to be stolen?" Alex said.

Toby sighed.

"Very well! I suppose I have little choice. I really can't let Viviane just run amuck because she's in a vengeful mood, and I'm certainly not going to let her take down Severus either way. You may leave the scabbard here, Aurelius… not the sword, mind you. You'll simply have to hang onto that until you can figure out some way to trick her into taking it back."

"Right, that sounds easy enough," Alex said sarcastically.

"Just set the scabbard on one of the shelves, Aurelius, that'll do nicely," Toby suggested.

"On a shelf? But doesn't that leave open the risk that someone might see it?" Joanie asked with alarm.

"No, not likely. I doubt anyone will even notice it unless they actually needed it, and other than Aurelius, I can't imagine anyone else actually doing so," Toby reassured them. "Just up here on the top shelf where I can keep an eye in it."

"Thank you, sir," Aurelius said, quickly putting it on the spot that Toby had indicated before lacing the sword back onto his belt. "Honestly, it's probably just as well that I keep Excalibur on me anyhow. It would have probably looked rather suspicious if they both turned up missing at once."

"A good point," Toby agreed cordially.

"But what should we do about Viviane?" Alex asked.

"My advice to everyone on that subject would be not to do anything at all," Toby said evenly. "And that includes not playing into her own hands," he added for good measure.

* * *

Despite all the distractions that came with Adler snooping about and having very little conference time that wasn't spent discussing OWLS and NEWTS, Jennifer somehow managed to find time to work on her research, dutifully and quite fervently trying to put something together. She had forgotten, however, about the sparring tournaments to judge, and the fact that Quidditch practice starting back up and football season was on the horizon. It didn't take long for her to figure out that her time would become too limited to get it done by the end of the weekend as she had hoped.

It also hadn't helped that Severus was contending with a daily barrage of concerned parents, representatives of different orders, historians, and divination experts as the _Oracle_ began printing out old Arthurian prophesies that had foretold that the sword would only be pulled at the height of Armageddon. But finally Severus had had enough and threw them all out in favor of a long walk to get out of the castle for a while and to give himself some quiet time to ponder Viviane's supposed disappearance. That it was intentional was obvious; that her sole intention was to avoid recalling the sword was yet to be seen. In fact, Severus had the nagging feeling that was only part of the reason, and he couldn't help but worry about what she might be planning.

He knocked gently on the door of Jennifer's office before peering in. She was sitting at her desk buried in work, but she looked up and smiled warmly at him when he stepped in.

"I have come to make certain you haven't been kidnapped or something, as little as I've seen of you lately," Severus said.

"You see me every night," Jennifer tsked.

"No, I feel your cold feet on my side every night. That isn't the same thing as seeing you," Severus said. Jennifer chuckled softly at him.

"You're the one who insisted on my organizing the tests this year," Jennifer reminded him. "And for the record, you've been busy lately as well."

"Tell me something I don't already know," Severus said dryly. "In fact, I just took a walk to try and burn off my headache. Sagittari has been after me again to cut down on how much aspirin I use a day, something about building up resistance to it or some such nonsense. I don't mind cutting down on potions, but when he starts asking me to cut out alternatives, it's going too far."

"It wouldn't kill you to actually listen to his advice now and again, Severus," Jennifer tsked.

"I did say I took a walk, did I not? Besides, I decided to check in and see how Humphrey was doing. The doctor thinks he'll be ready to come back into the castle soon," Severus said.

"That is very good news, Severus. Although… well, I hope we take the time to warn Lucky before we get to that point," Jennifer advised.

"I don't think it'll go unnoticed. Danyelle has taken a special interest in Humphrey's welfare, and I very seriously doubt that she'd neglect to tell Fortuna about it," Severus said.

"True enough," Jennifer agreed.

"So, is there anything that you're working on that I can help you finish up for the evening?" Severus asked in a low voice.

"Yes, actually," Jennifer said, missing the tone in his voice completely as she tried to straighten what was in front of her and hand it to him. "Care to look over my research notes for me?" He took them reluctantly, for he had been expecting a different sort of response, but immediately became more interested when he looked them over.

"So this is what you've been doing? The Obol research? This shows a great deal of progress since last time I looked at it," Severus said, glancing at her questioningly.

"Yes, and I even got data to back it all up, just as you requested," Jennifer said enthusiastically, handing him another stack and smiling smugly and the surprise that registered behind his deadpan expression. "In fact, that part of it is mostly done. I just need to wait for the results on the back page for some of the more long-term experiments I did, but other than that, I'm all done with everything except writing the article itself. In fact, you can have the Obol back now, if you like." Severus looked up from the pages in front of her and stared at her openly. "I won't be needing it again. As you can plainly see, I've marked down all the visions and their answers on the long term experiments already, I'll just have to update it when they happen, and I won't need the Obol for that."

"You want to give it back now?" Severus asked with a baffled expression on his face. "Did you see something in it that frightened you?"

"Oh, don't be silly, Severus!" Jennifer said with exasperation. "I haven't used this thing for anything other than research… well, for over a week anyway… and there certainly isn't anything frightening about observations like, 'Will Professor Scribe force Mr. Chance to perform another solo at the spring concert or not?'"

"I can answer that. Yes," Severus said flatly, and Jennifer chuckled at him. "Although since I always have to attend those sorts of functions, I for one can see how that can be very frightening. Very well, I suppose I am being unreasonable, however, I also think your giving it back right now is premature."

"Honestly, Severus, look for yourself, I really have gotten everything I need for the article done. I've no need to keep it."

"Yes, and I understand that you feel that part of your work is completed, Jennifer, but I also can't help feel that something may come up you might want to follow up on. Why don't you keep it for now, just in case," Severus said. It was Jennifer's turn to look baffled, but Severus had turned away and was making a feeble attempt to straighten her potion shelves again. "If you truly are done with it, I'm glad to hear it. You can keep it in your little safety box and forget about it until you're truly ready to turn it and your finished project in to me. But if something does come up, I for one don't want to have to get it out of the protection devices I have in mind for it just for you to do a single coin toss."

"It just seems to me like you've been so worried about me having it, Severus," Jennifer said slowly.

"If I didn't trust you with it, I would have never let you have the thing in the first place," Severus said, turning around and giving her an almost exasperated kiss. "Now, help me get your things together so we can take them upstairs so we can work on them there. After all, it is Friday night, and would be nice if we had a moment or two…"

"Friday night! Good heavens, the sparring tournament, I'd almost forgotten," Jennifer said, missing Severus' annoyed expression as she checked the time. "And I'm running quite late, aren't I? They're probably already up there waiting for me."

"Fine! Let's be off then!" Severus said with exasperation.

"What? Are you coming too?" Jennifer said with surprise.

"Another judge will help you get it done faster, will it not? Unless you mean to imply that I'm not qualified," Severus said.

"It isn't that so much as I can't remember the last time you offered, Severus. You've left it to Andrew and myself in recent years," Jennifer said with a slight smile, walking over to the door. But Severus paused at the door, his hand on the knob as he gazed back at her thoughtfully.

"Ask, Jennifer," Severus said quietly. "I can't read minds like you can, you know, and I can't always tell when you need me. I shouldn't have to rely on my watch to tell me when you're in danger, and perhaps if I knew exactly when it was that you needed me, I wouldn't run helter-skelter every time you've gotten yourself into a mess that you're more than capable of getting out of by yourself. Yes, well, if you haven't noticed, I've made up my mind that I'm not going to do that anymore, so if you need me, you are going to have to ask. Not that I am not partially responsible for your reluctance to do so over the years," Severus admitted in a low voice. "I have been nothing but opinionated about your missteps, when I've never once heard you criticizing my own. The irony of that being that I spent years in this dungeon and in that Potion Lab acting as Housemaster of Slytherin, where every student under me knew they could come into my office with a problem knowing it would be treated with immunity and with only solutions offered, not punishment. It extended to my children at Dumbledore's insistence, when they began getting into messes at school. And it should have always extended to you, despite the fact that I know full well it hasn't. I don't want you to feel like you can't come to me, Jennifer, at least on a personal basis. I will admit there might be professional matters that it'd be better off if you didn't tell me right away, like a matter of helping a student off campus which I won't mention," he said in a lower tone, and Jennifer grimaced.

"However, I trust you enough to decide for yourself when, where, and how to tell me such things. I trust you to decide when it's time to ask; whether you need help personally, professionally or both, or if you need help because you or someone we know is in danger, or it's something as simple as helping judge a sparring tournament or to organize your office and notes for the thousandth time so that we can have some time together. I'll admit that the idea of spending time together tonight is my idea, and if that means spending hours benching students in the sparring tournament so that I can glance at you across the room, so be it. Unless you don't want me around, of course," Severus added as almost an afterthought. "In which case, you need but to ask, Jennifer, and I'll go find something else to occupy my time for the evening."

"I want you around always, Severus," Jennifer said lovingly, cuddling into him. "I don't suppose you can manage just being around forever?"

"Only if I'm spending it with you," Severus murmured softly. "Shouldn't we be getting upstairs before everyone starts wondering where you are? Although I would be happy to skip the whole affair if you think we could get away with it."

"Probably not," Jennifer admitted with a chuckle, and Severus reluctantly opened the door. "Let's just bench them all," Jennifer joked mischievously, still hanging on his arm on their way up the stairs.


	41. Playing the Favorite

Chapter Forty-One

Playing the Favorite

The unseasonably warm weather brought rain, making for some uncomfortable practices for students getting ready for the school sports season to start up again. It poured up until the day of the first Quidditch game; but in its place came a thick fog that permeated everything and made for a very, very long game that left everyone from the players to the spectators sniffling and sneezing. Nobody complained about being served chicken soup for dinner, and many ended up in the door of the hospital ward where Madame Potter waited with a very large tray full of one-dose cold remedies for any student who came to call. At last the weather began to improve. As the temperature rose, Lucky's marks fell, until a stern warning from the Professor reminded her that she wasn't going to be able to play football if she didn't keep her marks up and they slowly worked their way up to 'acceptable Snape levels' again… if barely.

Spring had finally arrived, and it was quite evident in Professor Craw's behavior. The breakfast cart was always full and often stayed out all day, and her already impressive patience seemed to extend even further than normal; even after Don's attempt at making his own dung bombs instead of what he should have been working on during Potion's class. Whenever she was seen outside of class, it was practically always at the Professor's side, often clinging to his arm and talking quietly to him as they walked through the corridors or by the lake or on the stands during games. And despite the fact that his expression never seemed to change, hers changed so dramatically that it was fairly easy to tell by just looking at her the tone of their conversations.

Her mood, it seemed, was quite infectious in the school; everyone appeared to be in a much better disposition than they had been just a few weeks before… everyone except Aurelius, who seemed to be in as foul as mood as ever, in large part because of the sword that still hung at his side. Viviane had yet to reappear, and although he knew it would only be a matter of time before she returned, he also knew it would more than likely be on her terms and no one else's.

His mood also had a dramatic affect on his classes; for Aurelius had very little tolerance for the restless student behavior that had been developing. He swiftly began condemning anyone he thought wasn't making the best use of their time and had them report for supervised studying, making many students miss their Quidditch and football practices. Dale and Bobby had been two of his victims; as had Gary, Pimra, Winnie and even Ambrose, while as usual Lucky and the majority of Slytherin students (except for Don, who once again had pushed his luck too far) had gotten out of there without a scratch.

And it was just as well that Lucky had avoided detention, for that Saturday morning, Lucky awoke to find a note on her head and Houdini contentedly chewing on one edge of it.

"Stop that! 'Ey, get back to your hat, Houdini," Lucky said.

"Lucky, really, can't we sleep in for once?" Connie murmured.

"Sleep in? We gotta game today!" Lucky complained.

"But that's not for hours," Connie said, pulling the blanket over her head. But Lucky was wide awake now and opening the note, grinning at it a moment before whacking at Connie's blankets. "Hey, guess what? Ike is here!"

"Hum? Your pen pal?" Connie asked in a muffled voice.

"Yeah, he's here with his Dad and his two brothers. They're starting on the fountain today! Let's go see him!" Lucky said.

"Okay, okay," Connie said, reluctantly kicking her blankets back. "I suppose I don't blame you. I wouldn't mind meeting my pen pal either if she lived around here. You're not going to just sit and talk about money or anything, are you?"

"I just wanna go down there long enough to say hello," Lucky said, throwing on some clothes and waiting impatiently for Connie to follow.

There were over a half a dozen goblins in the courtyard by the time they got down there; a pair of them mixing a thick cement or mortar while the others seemed concerned with setting a long metal pipe in the center of where the fountain would be. As they wandered over, one of the goblins grew alert and walked in front of them, sneering in a much less pleasant way than they had seen Boulderdash sneer.

"No unauthorized gawkers allowed in the courtyard without a Goblin Permit or accompanied by the Headmaster!" the goblin declared.

"If we had a permit or were with Professor Snape, wouldn't we be authorized gawkers?" Connie asked. The goblin squinted at her.

"No smart asses allowed either!" he decided.

"Hang on a sec! Here, will this work?" Lucky asked, handing him the note. The goblin squinted at it.

"So, you we invited here by the favorite son, eh?" he growled. "Very well, but don't disturb anything! Time is money, you know," he said, walking them over to the other side of the courtyard. It wasn't hard to tell which goblin he was, for one of the goblins was a good half a foot shorter than all the others at the site, carrying a clipboard as he followed around a much older goblin in a pristine leather coat.

"What is this, Leadpick? I thought I made it clear no students would be allowed in the area," Gritbiter snapped.

"Your pardon, sir, but they're here to see Assistant Eyecleaver," he explained.

"Lucky?" Eyecleaver said hopefully, and Lucky waved slightly. "Hey! It's really you! That's great!" he said excitedly, ignoring the dirty look his father was giving him as he hopped over to see them and shook her hand. "Daggers'n'picks, it's good to see you at last! You sure are ugly, though!" he grinned.

"Oh ya? Well so are you," Lucky retorted, but apparently neither were offended because they both started snickering at the same time. "This is my roommate, Connie."

"Hi, Connie! Hey, if I show you guys what we're doing, can I see the castle?" he asked.

"I'll have to ask," Lucky said. "I'll ask Boulderdash, he won't say no," she decided, and Eyecleaver grinned. Just then there was a disturbing sound like an animal growl, but Lucky knew from experience it was the sound of a goblin clearing his throat.

"Aren't you forgetting asking someone as well, Eyecleaver?" Gritbiter snarled.

"Oh, right. Father, this is Miss Snape, my pen pal… you know, the one who helped fund the project and has the grandfather with the gold mine…."

"I'm well aware of Miss Snape's part in the project, son."

"So can I show them around then?"

"What about your duties?" Gritbiter frowned.

"Well, this is a sort of client relations opportunity; an investment for later services," he explained.

"Tax write-off," Lucky offered.

"Exactly," Eyecleaver said. Gritbiter shook his head.

"Very well! I've wasted enough time just arguing about it!" Gritbiter sighed. "Gnasher, come take over the supply list." Glumly, Gnasher looked up from his work chalking measurements and took over the list, glaring his younger brother but not commenting as the goblin and the two girls wandered away from them.

"That was my older brother. I have another one too… there, near the pipe, is Gritbiter the third. He's the oldest. I'm glad I'm the youngest, though, because it means I don't have to carry on the family business, that's why I get to stay in accounting school. Both my brothers had moved on by the time they were my age," Eyecleaver explained.

"So what do you plan to do then? Work for the bank?" Connie asked curiously.

"Well, maybe. I hope so, but only the students at the top of the class get to go there," Eyecleaver explained. "If I don't, I'll just open my own accounting firm. My father's already promised that he'll let me manage the company books if I do, so that would be a good start, although really it'd feel like charity. I'd rather earn my way."

"Eh, don't worry, Ike, you'll get good enough marks to work at the bank I bet," Lucky said.

"I hope so!" Eyecleaver said, careening his neck to look at the architecture (especially the stonework detail) as the three of them went inside.

Lucky had just turned down the main corridor towards the library when she heard her name called, and the three of them looked up to see Jennifer wandering through the halls, smiling at them questioningly.

"Good morning, Lucky! What are you up to?" Jennifer asked.

"This is my pen pal, Eyecleaver. We were gonna ask Boulderdash if we could show him around," Lucky explained.

"Well, you can ask me," Jennifer tsked at her, glancing between them. "All right, Lucky, just don't go into any classrooms and stay lower than the fourth floor, since there isn't much to see up there anyhow…"

"Can't we go up somewhere for a full view of the castle? Like the Astronomy Tower?" Connie asked.

"Don't you dare disturb Professor Sinistra this early in the day. Don't you value your lives?" Jennifer chuckled. "Try Professor Ravenclaw's tower, he likes visitors. Usually," she added for good measure. "And don't forget you have a game later, Lucky!"

"No way," Lucky grinned. "Thanks!"

"Oh, and um… nothing lower than this floor either, Lucky!" Jennifer put in, half wondering if she almost gave them permission to explore the Chamber itself.

"Nuthin' interesting to see in the dungeons anyhow," Lucky snorted as the three wandered down the hall.

Jennifer relaxed then, chuckling and shaking her head at the notion. But as she turned to continue towards her office, she caught something curious in the large ornate mirror hanging in the hall. She paused and frowned at it, wondering about what she had seen. Murmuring the Identify spell, she waited to see its reaction, but after studying it for some time, she was quite sure that the mirror wasn't magical at all. Pondering what had just happened, she continued on, more wary and also more restless.

"Who was that?" Eyecleaver asked when they had gotten several steps away.

"That was Professor Craw, of course," Connie said.

"Really? So she's your mother, Lucky?" Eyecleaver asked.

"Sorta, yeah," Lucky shrugged.

"No reason to be embarrassed or anything, Lucky. Your parents are well respected among goblins… for being wizardkind, I mean. Your mother once saved my uncle's life when Ciardoth captured him and his crew, and Professor Snape's always been supportive too. In fact, my father was pretty mad when he heard I signed up for the pen pal service until he learned I had a Snape for a pen pal," Eyecleaver admitted with a toothy grin. "Fortunately, it seems my father has a lot of respect for you father, which is rather odd in a way, considering he sees humans in general as a bunch of thieving murderers… no offense meant," he added with an amused sneer.

"Ya, well, maybe some of us are," Lucky shrugged.

"Anyhow, what matters most is what you think," Connie put in. "I mean, you don't see us as murderers, do you?"

"As long as I'm getting paid, I don't see anything," Eyecleaver said, and Lucky snickered in response. "Personally, I think father trusts him base on risk versus reward, really. He trusts Snape because there's not much to lose by it, but the rewards that come from being his ally practically pays for itself."

"Ya, business wise, maybe," Lucky snorted. "But how would he do in a fight with him?"

"Fair," Eyecleaver decided after mulling it over a moment, but Lucky snorted again. "Come to think of it, I could probably take him myself."

"You couldn't even take me," Lucky said. Connie blinked.

"What? You slip of a human girl? I hope you're not judging me by my height, Lucky. We goblins are fierce fighters," Eyecleaver said.

"Ya, I know. But you still couldn't take me," Lucky said unconcernedly. Connie looked back and forth between them.

"Care to back up your words?" Eyecleaver challenged her.

"Um… Lucky, don't forget we have a game today," Connie said.

"This won't take long," Lucky shrugged, leading them towards the gym.

"That's not exactly what I meant," Connie said. "I mean you could get into trouble…"

"Help me put the mats up on the walls, will ya?" Lucky asked. Sighing but realizing that neither Lucky nor the goblin were about to back down, Connie reluctantly followed her in, helping her cover the mirrors when they got there. "How about you cover the door, Connie? 'Sides, it'll be safer over there." Having no intention of arguing that point, Connie hurried out of the way.

"How about you start off? Don't worry, I'll go easy on you, we're friends, after all," Eyecleaver said.

"How about we just play it by ear, Ike?" Lucky said, keeping a fair distance away from him as he began moving around.

"Do humans even have ears?" Eyecleaver asked with a smirk. "Look more like holes in your head to me."

"At least they don't stick out so far they flap in the breeze," Lucky retorted.

"These are my mother's ears," Eyecleaver said haughtily.

"Ya well, maybe you oughtta go get her, I bet she fights better than you," Lucky suggested.

"Okay, that's it!" Eyecleaver said and lunged, but ended up grasping air for Lucky had dodged out of the way. Quickly he twisted around to keep her from being behind him only to have the same thing happen a second time, and then noticed her crouching in a defensive stance. "Wait a second! You really do know how to fight!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Ya. Learnin' anyhow," Lucky grinned.

"And here I was expecting you to pull a wand!" he said.

"Nah, no need," Lucky said in a smug, unconcerned tone.

"Well, we'll see about that!" Eyecleaver said and lunged again.

It didn't take long for Connie to start losing track of what was going on. A lot of close punches and last minute dodges that saved one or the other from a bad injury were enough to keep her wincing, especially when it was obvious that the strength behind the punches and lunges had grown fiercer as the match went on and the two of them kept trying to up the scale a notch. But finally, Eyecleaver somehow managed to grapple one of her arms and the two of them when down, and Connie watched as the vicious match turned into what looked to be a tickling contest.

Just then, someone loudly cleared his throat right behind her and Connie jumped nearly sky high when she saw it was the Headmaster standing there, the other two stopping what they were doing and looking over at him.

"And just what exactly is going on here?" Severus said disapprovingly.

"We were just showin' Ike here…Eyecleaver I mean… around the castle," Lucky explained, as the goblin rolled over to try to scramble to his feet. "Jackie said we could."

"I hardly think her idea of touring the castle included testing any of the facilities, including the gym, Fortuna," Severus frowned at her.

"She didn't mean any harm. We were just playing, really," Eyecleaver protested. "Although, I must admit, your daughter is a fair fighter for a human. She nearly had me three times!" Severus' lip twitched.

"Yeah, I guess I still need more workout time with Boulderdash," Lucky said glumly.

"What you need is to be getting ready for that football game," Severus said disapprovingly. "And now, if you don't mind, Eyecleaver, your father was looking for you. I'll escort you back."

"Are we in any trouble?" Connie asked worriedly.

"Only if you don't do as you're told," Severus said, shooing them out of the room with the back of his hand. "Besides, I've been waiting four months to see if those silly clown shoes of hers lives up to her expectations. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind and decide to bench you for the day for inappropriate use of the gym and accosting a school guest."

"I liked it," Eyecleaver put in for their defense, but Severus seemed to ignore him as he watched Connie nervously pulling Lucky down the hall.

"Wow, Lucky, for a moment I thought we were sunk," Connie admitted as they hurried up the stairs. "Good thing he's your father. If you'd been anyone else, he'd have come down on you for sure!"

"Gimme a break," Lucky protested. "The Professor doesn't do the playin' favorites thing and you know it."

"You're joking, right? After he arranged that Hogsmeade trip so he could explain away a full-scale birthday party for you? You're not fooling me, Lucky. I've been your roommate for four years now and I can plainly see that being a Snape has its perks," Connie said, shaking her head. "All I got going for me is knowing that if all else fails, I can get a job at the Ministry as a secretary or something."

"Nah, you got a lot more going for you than you think," Lucky said, but she seemed more subdued than a moment before.

"Like what?" Connie asked.

"A happy childhood," Lucky said, taking a moment to feed Houdini. "Somethin' my talents with money could never buy me."

"Well, no, I suppose not," Connie admitted, doing the same for her own owl. "And you're right, in some ways I have had a fairly comfortable life up until now. But really, Lucky, must you keep playing that 'I had a bad childhood' card in every conversation we have? You got pulled out of the dark water four years ago. Don't you think it's high time you stopped drowning in it?" Lucky frowned at her. "I suppose that was rather harsh," Connie said after she saw her reaction.

"Forget it," Lucky said irritably, digging in the closet. "Let's just get ready to go." She grabbed her uniform and socks and tossed them on her bed before reaching up and pulling the shoe box off her shelf.

"You're not going to wear those through the school, are you? Mr. Carnegie will have your hide for sure if you leave holes in the floor," Connie said.

"Fine, I'll grab a different pair," Lucky said with a sigh, digging in the closet again.

"Mind if I look at them?" Connie asked, and Lucky shrugged as she fished out her more comfortable pair of shoes. But when Connie picked them up, she noticed a small silvery package in the bottom. "What's this?" she asked, picking it up, the box making a rather pleasant jingling sound when she did so. "Why, it's a Christmas present. Lucky, did you know this was here?"

Lucky looked up with a baffled expression on her face.

"Huh, how about that? I bet Jackie put it in here when she was cleaning up figuring I'd get to it later," Lucky said. "But I put my shoes in here after I got home and decided not to wear 'em again 'til our first game."

"Better late than never! At least as long as it isn't food or something and it's too small to be that. I bet it's jewelry from the size and sound of it. There's an odd symbol on the tag instead of a name."  
"Must be from family then," Lucky said, taking it and looking at the tag. "It's from the Professor," she said thoughtfully. "Probably why I missed it, I just figured the shoes was a joint present."

"Well, I refuse to get ready any more until you open it, so you might as well do it," Connie said, sitting on her bed. Lucky sat down as well, ripping off another page to see a box marked MCP.

"Yep, it's jewelry," Lucky said, slipping off the lid, unsurprised to find it covered with a folded note. She moved aside the note and carefully removed a fine gold charm bracelet with eight gold animal charms with garnet eyes dangling in between eight tiny gold-tinted glass phials, each one filled with a dark liquid.

"Oh, that's pretty, Lucky! That's one of my cousin's, isn't it? I've never seen Cedric do one with phials before," Connie said appreciatively, then began to get ready. Carefully, Lucky opened it, glad that Connie had so quickly lost interest after that, for at home she was often expected to read the notes out loud.

_Fortuna,_

_The gold in this charm bracelet has been charmed or protect you from heat and flame, as well as an enchantment to increase its durability so that even someone as active as you are will not be able to break it accidentally, nor will it come off your wrist except by your own hand. The phials themselves were my own contribution. Each one contains a very potent and effective potion for extinguishing fire by pulling them off and throwing them; you'll notice the latches on the phials are slightly different, and you should be able to do so easily. If you are ever in need of more, simply ask, for it is simple enough to make. Also, if you decide to continue on in Potions past fifth year, your mother or I will be happy to teach it to you so you can make your own._

_I want you to understand that I give you this not to curb your natural talents but to help you learn how to control them… to protect you, yes, but not to try to discourage you from exploring the gifts you have been given. Since the dawn of mankind, fire has been a powerful tool; harnessed for warmth, cooking, crafting pottery and glass for water and smelting metals for arms and building materials. And even though they understood that fire could also just as surely be a powerful enemy and rob them of their food sources, shelters, and even their lives, they came to respect it for its benefits, while teaching themselves how to minimize the risks. Someday when you're ready, I am hoping that you will learn how to do this as well; to treat your gifts with respect, caution, and discretion. And just as important, I hope that someday you come to understand that it isn't about the talents we receive that matters, but how we use the talents we are given._

_I see a lot of myself in you, Fortuna; a lot of the same brashness and anger, and the bullheadedness. But unlike me, you have made nothing but sound decisions since you arrived, curbing your talents, supporting your friends, and fighting tooth and nail to get past 'surviving' and onto 'living.' That is something I didn't learn how to do until I was much, much older, and one of the many reasons that I am honored to have you as a daughter. There is nothing wrong with being a fighter, Fortuna, so long as it is for the right reasons. And I very much am of the opinion that you have them._

_Happy Christmas, Your Father, ~S~_

"Lucky, it's getting late," Connie said when Lucky had sat on the bed for a while, frowning at the note with a distant look on his face. "Hey! Snap out of it! Whatever happening to you wanting to 'smash up Slytherin to prove that even professionals can't even turn them into a decent team?'" Connie said, trying to mimic Lucky's accent and failing miserably.

"Ya," Lucky said, finally folding the note back up and putting it in the box, pulling out the charm bracelet and putting it on.

"You're not thinking of wearing that during the game, are you, Lucky? We're not supposed to wear things like that during a game, especially if they're enchanted, and I'm quite sure that is. What does it have on it?" she asked.

"It's personal," Lucky shrugged, quickly changing. "I'll ask Brittle. She'll let me wear it."

"Not likely," Connie snorted at her.

"Wanna bet?" Lucky asked daringly.

When Severus and Jennifer walked out to the stands, several members of the Gryffindor team were standing nearby, all looking off towards the direction of Slytherin team and over at where Danny stood in her referee outfit.

"Oh, there's Lucky, over there," Jennifer said when she followed their gazes to see Lucky standing nearby, talking to Danny. A moment later, Lucky turned with a grin, waving at them before running back over and putting her hand out. Severus squinted when half of them paused to give her some coins. "Why, look, Severus! She's wearing your charm bracelet!" Jennifer said with surprise.

"Oh?" Severus said, changing his focus. "Well, it's about time. I was beginning to think she had intentionally lost it so she wouldn't have to wear it."

"Perhaps it's a good sign," Jennifer suggested with a warm smile. "Perhaps you've finally won her over, Severus."

"I haven't really done anything to deserve it," Severus said with a shrug.

"Sometimes it isn't about doing something, Severus, sometimes it's about just being there," Jennifer said lovingly. "Just like you've been doing for me lately."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Severus said, looking disinterested in continuing the conversation. "Look, here comes Minerva, Jennifer."

"Really?" Jennifer said, turning around and then laughing outright when she saw Minerva wearing a very large red pointy hat with gold trailing ribbons. Jennifer waved at her to get her attention and helped her get up to where they were.

"Good afternoon, Minerva. Any predictions on who is going to win?" Severus asked dryly.

"Well, I don't know a thing about this new sport the school has taken up, Severus, but I'd like to think that the best team is the one that will win," she said with a thin but daring smile.

"Then it'll probably be Gryffindor, since Lucky is a smashing striker, isn't she, Severus?" Jennifer said.

"There is a rumor among the staff that the Slytherin team has had some professional instruction this year, however," Severus said, having no intention of backing up Gryffindor with Minerva sitting beside him with that challenging smile of hers.

"Yes. And boy did they need it," Jennifer said, Minerva laughing in response while Severus attempted to ignore the exchange, watching the crowds filter in. He stood then as he saw one of the parents in the crowd to indicate where he was, and Abraxus Coventry carefully made his way up, wearing a beautiful dark green cloak with silver embroidery.

"Good afternoon, Severus, Jennifer! Ah, Minerva! I heard you were visiting of course! What is it like over there?" Abraxas asked.

"Peaceful," Minerva said with a wry smile. "I thought I'd drop by and see the latest pastime of the school."

"Ah, yes! Not as exciting as Quidditch, I'm afraid, but entertaining nonetheless… at least it will be to see Slytherin skunk Gryffindor," he said cheerfully, Minerva shaking her head with a skeptical smile. "Both my son Donald and my daughter Elizabeth are on the team, you see. They're quite good," he said.

"Michael Coventry is quite good as well," Severus put in, knowing full well that Abraxus wouldn't. "His other son has been pivotal to the progress of the Hufflepuff team, from what I understand."

"Really?" Minerva said with interest, despite the fact that Abraxus looked quite uncomfortable at the compliment… wary, in fact. "Perhaps I should come to more than one of these, then, so I can have the opportunity to see them play as well."

"Come as often as you like, Minerva," Severus said.

"Ah! Here they come at last!" Abraxus said, directing their attention to the pitch. But as they took their places, Don was staring at Lucky with a frown as they took their places for the kickoff.

"Hey, what gives?" Don shouted, making certain that Madame Brittle could hear as well. "You're not allowed to wear jewelry during games, it's against association rules. Even if it wasn't, it could be enchanted or something! And what the hell do you got on your feet?"

"All right, Coventry, that's enough!" Brittle warned. "It's my job to check what players wear out on the pitch, not yours, and I've already cleared her, now take your places."

"They won't let us wear the basic charmed equipment from Hogsmeade, and they let her wear what she likes?" Don muttered, walking out with the rest of the team before turning to Dirk. "What gives, Atchinson? What's with the bracelet?"

"I don't know. I've never seen it before," Dirk admitted.

"Neither have I," Beth said as she began backing into her spot as well, looking at Dirk disapprovingly. "But if I had, I certainly wouldn't have told you anything about it."

"How about we just play the game?" Helena snapped as she ran past on her way to the goal.

"For once, Helena is right, Don," Bindy said. "There is no way that they have a prayer of winning against us this year no matter what stunts they try to pull. They have no idea what they're up against."

It was about that time that the ball went sailing past her as Lucky had put her best foot forward on the kickoff to make a statement of her own. Growling with fury, Don turned his attention to the game.

Despite the fact of how very obvious it was to everyone in the stands that Slytherin was much improved from the year prior, it didn't take long before the game became to lean in Gryffindor's favor. It also became clear that the idea of putting Helena in the box might deter Lucky from kicking rocket balls towards the goalie had proved unwise; for Helena knew from practicing with Lucky just what sort of kicks she was capable of, had no intention of trying to stop the one that came at her full speed. A timeout was called; and after they came back out on the pitch, Connie gave Lucky a bit of a nudge, for it was Don who took the goalkeeper position. A sinister smile worked its way across Lucky's face, looking nothing short of delighted about their change in strategy.

"Okay, Lucky, just don't kill him," Connie said, getting a bit creeped out about the girl's expression. Lucky snorted.

"Nah, it's cool, I ain't gonna hurt him," Lucky said as they were signaled to take their positions again. "But if he thinks he's gonna stop me, he's got another thing commin'."

"Expect it quick, Lucky," Gary advised her as he hurried to take his place as center, and she simply grinned again.

Abraxus cringed as a low angled kick sailed less then an inch past his son's leg and into the goal. His expressions had been anything but set during the game; and had Lucky seen him, she would have found them quite comical, not knowing that it was quite similar to her own wincing and cringing any time she watched a Quidditch game. Minerva, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying herself tremendously, for it didn't take her long to figure out from watching and from Jennifer's confused explanations that it was very much like Chaser Ball. It was quite easy to tell which team was getting smashed as another flew dangerously close to Don's head for another as half time was called at a score of eight to two.

"Honestly, this is a lot more exciting than you led me to believe, Severus," Minerva said. Severus, who hadn't worn even the hint of a smile up to that point nodded calmly to her.

"It can be quite interesting on occasion," he admitted.

"Well, I don't think I've ever seen Lucky in such good form," Jennifer said cheerfully as she paused to get drinks when Dale passed by with a small refreshment box marked: Sponsored by the Order of the Owls Fountain Committee. "Have you?"

"She's positively brilliant, Professor Craw," Dale said with such enthusiasm that Severus turned around and gave him a dirty look. Dale quickly excused himself and moved on.

"Well, something is quite fishy about this, if you ask me," Abraxus said with annoyance. "And what is with those shoes?"

"They're Muggle-made shoes, Abraxus, we got them for her for Christmas," Jennifer said, not particularly caring for the tone in his voice. "The main difference I see in Lucky today is she has a bit more confidence than usual, and I couldn't be happier about that."

"Muggle-made or not, perhaps they were tampered with after the fact," Abraxus suggested.

"I doubt anything like that would slip Madame Brittle's attention," Severus put in before Jennifer had a chance to reply, apparently unconcerned with the accusations.

"I highly doubt that as well, Severus," Minerva put in. "Madame Brittle wouldn't work against her house, Abraxus."

"Wouldn't she?" Abraxus challenged, glancing at Severus. "She worked against her family often enough."

"I believe it was the other way around, actually," Severus said. No one missed the change in his voice; a subtle and yet unquestionable warning that accusations against one of his staff would not go over well.

Over on the other side of the Pitch, Don, who had been scanning the stands nearby for his father, finally made eye contact and waved at him, but did not miss the fact that he and everyone near him looked irritated.

"Don, please get over here and pay attention," Schroeder snapped from where he stood between the stands. "You have got to get a hold of yourselves! We didn't bust our rears all summer to be made fools out of."

"Well, we did get two points on them, that's more than we got on them last year," Helena pointed out.

"To hell with the two points! It's the eight on their side I'm worried about! We're not here to 'do better than last year,' Weasley, anyone can clap mediocrity on the back. We're here to win," he snapped.

"Fat chance of that, unless Lucky breaks a leg or something," said Bindy.

"There will be none of that sort of horsing around," Dirk said evenly. Schroeder raised a brow at him. "Look, I don't know about you, but I don't want the Headmaster breathing down my neck if anything happens to her, let alone Professor Aurelius. You know how he gets about her."

"True, but I also think Bindy has a point. The key is to get her out of the game. If March ends up having to pull the weight of their team by himself, it'll be easy to steal the ball back and turn this thing around," Schroeder said. "So I suggest, Captain, that you work at getting her red carded instead," he said to Dirk. "You all know how little it takes for her to lose her temper, so I'm sure you can figure out some way to trip her up. Turn this thing around, and the sooner the better, considering how many points you have to put up to make up for that first half."

"Fine. We'll turn it around," Dirk said evenly. Don simply glanced up at the stands, smiled to himself, and got ready to play the second half.

A roar of applause and support followed Gryffindor onto the Pitch, and the Slytherin team squinted as they saw most of the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students supporting them as well.

"I am tired of being pinned as the underdog," Bindy growled. "How is it that we're not even slowing them down? It's like they know every single move we learned over the summer."

"Maybe they do," Don said, pointing her over to the stands where Mike was sitting beside Delia, Winnie and Ambrose.

"Why, that cheeky little traitor!" Bindy said.

"Hey, watch it! He's my brother too!" Beth complained.

"Well, he's not going to get away with this," Bindy spat.

"Don't worry, he won't," Don said with a nod, Beth watching her brother with open worry as he hurried back over to the goal.

It was easy for the Gryffindor team to tell that the other team was up to something, but at this point, Lucky was anything but worried. They had enough of a lead now that she knew all they had to do was put up decent defense to win, and it became obvious that her aggressive playing from the first half had let up, waiting for opportunities rather than demanding them.

"What's wrong, Fortuna? Getting tired?" Bindy asked after Helena managed to cut in front of the goal and block her kick, dribbling the ball back in the other direction.

"Nah," Lucky said with a shrug, ignoring the use of her name. "I'm just saving my leg for the Ravenclaw game. They'll be more competition."

"Why you pudgy little bitch…" A whistle blew and Brittle threw up a yellow with a sigh.

"If you're going to taunt, at least use language I don't have to throw you out for," Brittle warned. Lucky smirked and moved back into her position.

"The point is to get her thrown out, not us," Dirk hissed at Bindy, who simply stuck her nose up in response.

"If you want us to get her thrown out, we may have to make a sacrifice or two," Bindy said.

"Is it just me, or are they all a bit more hostile this half?" Jennifer asked with a frown as they started playing again.

"That score is enough to make any team more hostile," Severus said with a slight nod.

Minerva was becoming even more intrigued, noting at how relaxed the Gryffindor team had gotten, despite the fact that Dirk had managed to get one past Connie for their third goal. She clapped politely along with the others, while Abraxus alone showed true enthusiasm.

"Now that is more like it!" Abraxus said, pleased.

"They have been playing better than they did last year by far," Jennifer ventured. "Much more organized, and they look like they know what they're doing now."

"Of course they know what they're doing," Abraxus said irritably. "After all those lessons, they had better!" The other three decided not comment, turning back to the game, just in time to see the ball turn back up the pitch. As the ball got passed to Lucky, Bindy moved up for an apparent attempt to block and instead hooked her foot around the back of Lucky's leg and brought her down.

Jennifer, Minerva and Severus leapt to their feet, but Danny had been quick to throw up a red card, removing Bindy from the game.

"I may not know much about this game, but that looked quite deliberate," Minerva said.

"Well, it's going to cost them, they'll have to play one player down now," Jennifer said.

The three of them remained standing until Danny had a few words with Lucky and helped her back to her feet, finally sitting down when it was obvious she was going to be okay.

"You want to sit out a few, Lucky?" Gary asked when he noticed she was moving a little stiff. But Lucky's eyes still glared fiercely at Don, who had laughed and clapped on her way down, receiving a yellow card of his own.

"No," Lucky said, walking over for the free kick. "But I ain't gonna let 'em get away with that either. They don't wanna play nice, then neither do I. Let's rack up the score," she said and Gary grinned and nodded in understanding, taking his place.

It was obvious from the very beginning that the stances of the Gryffindor team had changed again, going back on the offensive despite the fact that the Slytherin team seemed rather pleased to have riled them up. But Gary wasn't about to make the mistakes they were hoping for any more than Lucky was, waiting until Lucky had pulled well away from the others before attempting to pass, Lucky immediately sinking the ball in low and fast before Don could even hope to react.

Don wasn't interested in the low balls anyhow, waiting for the ball and Brittle to start back up field before insulting Lucky lividly again. But Lucky had already begun to move away and hadn't even heard what he said, only vaguely aware that behind her came a round of snickers from the other Slytherin and glares from some of the Gryffindor players who had heard it. Lucky simply shrugged it off. Slytherin was running out of time, and with each goal had less chance of recovering no matter what stunt they tried to pull. She grew alert as the ball came towards her a bit high and she quickly moved to the side, fully intending to beam it into the top left corner of the net. But unexpectedly, instead of reaching out to try and block it, Don seemed to step into it and got beamed in the head, immediately falling to the ground.

"Donald!" Abraxus jumped up.

"Wait, where are you going?" Severus said as he began to move.

"Down to see my son! That was intentional, Snape!" Abraxus said hotly as he clamored down.

"Yes, but by whom?" Minerva murmured.

"Come on, Jennifer, we had better get down there," Severus said, and the two of them began working their way off the stands as well.

"He's all right I think, just a bit stunned," Madame Potter reassured the two teams as they came over to check on him. "He should sit down the rest of the game to be on the safe side, but I don't think he has a concussion. Considering how hard Lucky can hit that ball when she's motivated, I think you were really… fortunate," she said, noting his scowl.

"Fortunate nothing! She did that on purpose! She was trying to knock me out of the game!" Don accused angrily.

"Are you crazy or sumthin'?" Lucky said in surprise. "What the hell reason would I have of knocking you out of the game? You were no threat," she snorted.

"Because you got mad at me because I called you Fattuna," he spat. Lucky blinked once and then made a sudden move as if she were going after him, Connie and Gary both jumping in to stop her.

"Cool it, Snape!" Brittle snapped, and reluctantly Lucky backed off, still glaring at Don fiercely.

Just then, Mr. Coventry ran up and Don suddenly swooned again. Lucky rolled her eyes, but was a little surprised to see that the Professor had done the same as he and Craw came up behind him. Feeling more relaxed at that; Lucky simply shook her head when Don's father began to fuss over him, while Don began complaining about everything from the hit to the shoes to the bracelet.

"He's all right, Mr. Coventry," Madame Potter reassured him. "Really, he just needs to relax as a precaution but honestly, he's perfectly fine. You can resume whenever you like, Danny."

"Very well! Everyone back on the pitch so we can resume," Madame Brittle said.

"But Lucky hit me intentionally!" Don said.

"Yes, what of that?" Abraxus asked. "Surely you're not letting her go!"

"Mr. Coventry, as referee during this game, I was watching that play, and it looked to me as if she were aiming behind him not at him. Had he tried using his arms instead of his torso, he wouldn't have been hit at all," Brittle said. "The play was legal. Lucky, you can go."

"Oh, no you don't! I am sick and tired of this open favoritism at my son's expense!" Abraxus said.

"I don't play favorites," Brittle said curtly. "And I certainly wouldn't allow any Slytherin to be treated unfairly, if that is what you're implying."

"Oh, nonsense! I have heard on good authority that your daughter spends more time with you than any of your Slytherin students do! I think it's perfectly plain that you are biased in favor of the girl!"

"Mr. Coventry, Madame Brittle is in charge of all sports and recreation at the school, as you well know, and even were she not directly refereeing, she would have the final decision to any game disruption such as this. Furthermore, if you have any complaints of favoritism towards any student, you are more than happy to bring it up with me or the board, but I will not allow you to involve the children directly, especially since such a charge is a reflection of our behavior and not theirs," Severus said firmly. "Go join your teammates, Fortuna."

Reluctantly, Lucky wandered back over to the others, who had been watching the exchange from a distance.

"So you're allowed to play after all?" Gary asked.

"Ya, Brittle didn't buy that stunt he pulled any more than the Professor did," Lucky said, the two of them walking backwards together as they watched the Slytherin team come out.

"It was rather obvious," Gary put in. "I doubt anyone bought it."

"Ya, except Don's father," Lucky said grimly.

"Proof positive that some people should not be parents," Gary snorted. "Don't worry about it, Lucky. The Professor can handle anything that old codger can dish out and then some. Just concentrate on finishing the game and let him deal with it."

"Ya," Lucky said, watching as Brittle finally began to walk back over, shaking her head. "Hey, do you think I get away with stuff? I mean, as far as school rules and stuff like that?"

"You're the Headmaster's daughter, Lucky. I'd think you got away with stuff whether it was true or not," Gary grinned at her, backing up into place. "But if I were you, and I didn't get away with stuff, I'd be pretty put out about it!" he added for good measure.

"Ya, you would," Lucky snorted, then put it out of her mind as Brittle blew her whistle. But with both Bindy and Don out of the game, Lucky knew the outcome was already assured, and wasn't a bit surprised to find a celebration in full swing by the time she got up to the Gryffindor common room.

* * *

Jennifer looked up thoughtfully when Severus came into the sitting room. He glanced at her questioning face and then shook his head with exasperation.

"That bad?" she asked.

"The man is completely oblivious," Severus said. "He has his own view of how the world works and he positively refuses to believe it can be any different than the way he sees it. By the end of the conversation, he was spouting off how the entire Ministry hangs on my every word and is at my beckon call."

"I'm certain that Draco would be a bit surprised to hear it," Jennifer said with amusement.

"Yes, and the school board eats out of the palm of my hand, so therefore no force upon Earth can stop me," Severus went on, drumming his fingers on his bookshelf a moment before picking one up and showing it pointedly to her. "I'm not exactly sure when it was that I turned into Mycroft Holmes, although it would have been nice if someone had told me so I could have made some changes."

"Like kicking a certain someone off the school board?" Jennifer said knowingly.

"Anyone who can't manage his own children shouldn't be put on a school advisory board," Severus said.

"You won't hear any arguments from me, Severus," Jennifer said with a soft chuckle. "Well, look on the bright side. In five years, his children will all be out of school and I doubt he'll find further interest in it."

"Five years? In that time, Fortuna and Ambrose will also be out of school. We'll have several grandchildren in Hogwarts, including Charles the Third, and Natalie of an age where she's contemplating boys… no, I'm not ready to go there, Jennifer," Severus said, his expression serious despite her obvious amusement. "You know, in some ways, it was that sort of long range contemplation that lead to my stupidity last year, but I've learned since then the appreciating the present as it happens is much more productive than pondering the future. And right now, my future consists of reading a chapter or two while I wait for you to finish up those tests of yours, then feeding the familiars, and then spending the rest of the evening doing what I can to convince you to think only of the present as well… yes, in that order," he added when he heard a hiss of protest come out from under his desk. Jennifer chuckled at that.

"Well, I'm going to take care of my familiars now," Jennifer said, getting up. "There's a chill in the air and I think it's probably going to rain again and I need to shut up the windows in my sitting room before it starts."

"And the bedroom? I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly fond of cold damp pillows," Severus complained. Rasputin hissed again. "Oh, very well, I'll feed you now. Apparently, Rasputin agrees with my sentiment about living in the present. At least his stomach does," he said, opening the office door to let Descartes into the sitting room.

"I'm not surprised," Jennifer chuckled. "I'll be just a moment."

"I'll have the tea ready," Severus said cordially, and then became distracted as he put his gloves on to feed Descartes, the action making Rasputin hissing again. "No, no, you got fed first yesterday, it's his turn."

"I'm so glad my familiars aren't that much of a bother to feed," Jennifer said with amusement as she wandered into her sitting room, giving Dodger his fair share of dried beetles, Owl kibble, and a mouse before filling Ratfly's bowl with fresh spring cherries, lightly coated with a potion to keep him from getting too lethargic.

She then closed up all the windows, and was about to turn to do the same in the bedroom when she paused and stared at the large mirror that had been in her sitting room from the very first. She had seen something; a shimmer or a shadow, like she had noticed before in the hallways and random mirrors through the castle lately. But something about sensing it in one of her personal mirrors seemed quite unnerving. Could someone be using them to spy on her, she wondered, frowning and stepping over to it.

To her surprise, the mirror began to grow fuzzier and fuzzier, until it slowly came into focus again; but it was not her reflection that she saw.

Instead, she saw herself sitting at the desk in the Headmaster's Study with a stack of paperwork in front of her and a nearly empty candy dish with only a broken butter tablet and one wrapped chocolate left within it. A moment later Hermione came in, sighing at her with a sympathetic look as she came over to the desk.

"Are you still working on those? You look exhausted, you know. Maybe you ought to get some rest," Hermione said quietly.

"I don't want anything out of order," Jennifer said firmly. "Severus will be back any day now, and I'm simply not going to leave any work half done for him to have to deal with when he gets back."

"Jennifer, you've been saying he'll be back 'any day now' for weeks," Hermione said. Jennifer glanced up and with only a split glance at Hermione's face decided to push her spectacles all the way up on her nose. "What if he's not able to come back?"

"Wherever he is, he's fine, Hermione," Jennifer protested. "He's just been delayed, that's all, he will be back. He wouldn't leave me here," she said firmly, gazing at her colorless ring. "He wouldn't leave me in a position where I might never know what happened to him."

As the vision began to fade, Jennifer backed warily away from the mirror, murmuring identify spells to no avail, baffled by the fact there didn't seem any magic residue on it at all. Just then, she stumbled over her desk chair, the noise enough to bring Severus in from the other room.

"Trip over a chair, did you? Are you all right? You look a bit pale," Severus frowned concernedly as she righted the chair. "Is something wrong?"

"I…thought I saw something in the mirror. It startled me," Jennifer admitted. Severus squinted and turned to the mirror suspiciously, and Jennifer watched rather numbly as he cast the same spells that she had in an almost identical sequence.

"Seems to be normal now," Severus mused.

"Yes it does. Perhaps I just let my imagination get away from me," Jennifer said. Severus glanced over thoughtfully, but Jennifer was looking in the other direction, whether to avoid his gaze or that of her reflection, Severus wasn't quite sure.

"Perhaps it was, Jennifer, but all the same, I think I'll take a quick look into the school mirror, just to be safe. Perhaps it might reveal something we might have missed," Severus said, wandering into the Headmaster's Study, unsurprised to find Jennifer following curiously behind him as he drew out the ornate gold mirror, putting it to his ear first.

"It isn't as if anyone else is in there," Jennifer said, but he put a finger to his lips, listening a moment before murmuring a soft command and focusing his gaze on it. Jennifer watched his face carefully as he willed the mirror to look through into her room, but after a thorough search his eyes finally blinked and he focused back in, murmuring the spell to cancel it back out again. "Well?"

"Nothing unusual," Severus said thoughtfully. "And yet, if someone had use of a contact mirror, perhaps they broke of connection before we got to it."

"Severus, that sort of thing leaves a magic residue that is quite readable," Jennifer pointed out.

"And yet I just did it with this mirror without any effects on your mirror, Jennifer."

"Well, yes, but that's because it's tied to the security system of the castle itself, Severus, not my mirror," Jennifer said.

"But it does prove there are ways around it, and as such, I would much prefer we err or the side of caution," Severus said firmly. "Do you still have that worry stone I made you?"

"Of course, it's in my Chest Cloak," Jennifer said. Severus nodded.

"Perhaps you should keep it on you, just to be safe," he advised.

"You mean that you think whatever caused this was an outside source?" Jennifer asked slowly.

"Don't you?" Severus asked, but Jennifer didn't answer. "I think I'm also going to place an order with Tassels and Panning to get you a Snoop chain like mine. The worry stone works well in a pinch, but I'd rather you have your hands free, and it isn't like I'm always going to be around to detect snoops for you," he said, grabbing a piece of notepaper.

"What do you mean?" Jennifer asked in such a curiously panicked tone that Severus paused and looked over at her.

"I mean that you work in the dungeon and I work up here, Jennifer, and I very seriously doubt that is going to change any time soon," Severus said expressionlessly. Jennifer suddenly relaxed, looking quite embarrassed.

"Right, of course, you have a point," Jennifer admitted. "But really, Severus, you seem to be making a rather big deal out of all of this."

"Buying you a simple chain for a bit of peace of mind is hardly making a big deal out of anything, Jennifer," Severus said calmly, scribbling out the note and folding it over. "On the contrary, I think Tassels and Panning find it much more of a 'big deal' if I don't buy you at least a trinket every now and then. It can serve as this month's quota… unless you want me to add something else. Earrings? Perhaps a brooch?"

"Severus, you are awful!" Jennifer chuckled, wrapping her arms around him. "You know you don't have to buy me anything. I love you no matter what."

"Yes, I know. Forgive me if I ever gave you the impression that I doubted it. Now, why don't you go finish up that test of yours so we can relax for a while? I'll be just a moment, but leave the curtain open just in case," Severus said.

"All right, Severus," Jennifer said, obviously more at ease as she pulled back the curtains and stepped back into his sitting room.

Severus watched her go and then turned back around, lacing his hands together as he attempted to put together everything he knew for certain that had happened that year along with everything he suspected. Some theories he tossed out, where others fell too neatly into place but be anything but correct. It was only then that he nodded to himself and pulled over the appointment book, flipping it over several days before writing a very large note that took up the entire page.


	42. Phantoms

Forty-Two

Phantoms

Lucky inspected the door before knocking on it. She waited only a moment before she cracked her knuckles, glanced around to make sure no one was in the hall, and let herself in. She then went over to the breakfast tray and set it up, so that by the time Danny arrived, Lucky had made herself quite comfortable with a cup of coffee and a full plate of chocolate éclairs.

"Sorry I'm late. I hope you made yourself at home," she added with amusement. She paused to turn a small dial above the doorknob and to tug off her cloak, putting it on a hook near the door. "I had to stop and help Taylor with a bit of a mess this morning. I swear we only turned our backs on Gloria for two minutes. Do you know how much destruction a toddler can do in two minutes? Staggering, positively staggering," she said with exasperation.

"Ya, but it's too late for take backs," Lucky smirked.

"The farthest thing from my mind, although I really hope that's the last time I have to clean cauldron sealant off the walls…and floor… and couch, tables, desk… and worst of all, out of Gloria's hair."

"Doesn't that have tar in it?" Lucky asked, wincing when Danny nodded.

"I had to make an emergency call on Molly Weasley. I had a feeling she'd know what to do," Danny explained, and Lucky smirked again. "I'm glad I don't have to deal with whatever Taylor's parents are going to say when he drops off a baby with lime green hair, but Molly says it should be back to normal in a day or two," she said, taking her seat with a sigh and gratefully taking the offered cup. "You know, I was bitter for a long time about not being able to have children of my own, but except for the occasional twinge now and again that has as much to do with hormones as it does anything else, I'm quite glad we adopted her. Even though she's not going to go through the same sort of aches and pains you and I went through getting adopted at school age, there's something about helping a child out that desperately needed a loving home that has really helped me put away a lot of baggage I've been carrying around."

"So has Hogwarts, yeah?" Lucky asked thoughtfully.

"Oh, absolutely," Danny agreed. "Although it's a different sort of baggage… actually, it's rather hard to explain, but my choice to come to Hogwarts was about trying to make a difference in all children's lives, where making a difference in Gloria's life is more personal. But both have had a real healing effect on me."

"I'm not sure what I wanna do with my life yet," Lucky admitted. "But I'm not really interested in teaching. I'm not even sure if I'm interested in havin' a family, either."

"No one said you had to be," Danny said. "Just do whatever it is you feel is right for you, Lucky. And learn to trust your instincts, or better yet, trust yourself in general. Rather hard to make good decisions for yourself if you don't, you know."

Lucky nodded thoughtfully at that, but Danny realized she was repeating herself from earlier conversations and decided to cut it short.

"Anyway, I wanted to give you a heads up about something before you went to class today," Danny said. "I had a few words with Doctor Sagittari on my way in, and he's planning to let Humphrey back in the castle," she explained. Lucky looked over at her expressionlessly. "He's strong enough now to take care of himself again, and he's probably quite ravenous, although for some reason I seriously doubt he'll go anywhere near you," she added with amusement. "I believe they're planning on putting him in the staff room at first, but he does have the power to wander wherever he likes, so I thought I'd better warn you. You do remember how to drive him off?"

"Ya, that dumb riddikulus spell," Lucky said flatly. "Only there's nothing funny about my father."

"He wasn't your father, Lucky," Danny said firmly. "José Conejo was no more your father than Byron Nelson was mine. A father is someone who cares about you. It is someone who disciplines you out of love and concern, not someone who punishes on a whim or because they had a bad day. A father wants to protect you without stifling you, tries to teach you while still allowing you the freedom to make your own mistakes. He does not in any way try to influence you for his own personal gain; rather, he sees to your needs first, no matter what hardship it may bring upon him to do so. A father is someone who would risk your life to save yours, and never ever would he threaten to take it. Now, tell me, Lucky, was that man your father?"

Lucky met her unyielding gaze for a few seconds before finally turning away, shaking her head.

"Good," Danny said quietly, her gaze softening. "Now, if you do happen to run into him, you know it's just the Boggart now, so I'm quite sure you won't panic again. If you don't feel comfortable with the riddikulus charm, you can try an illusion charm, or if all else fails, walk away and find a professor who can deal with him, all right?"

"Aurelius was plannin' to flunk any third year students who couldn't handle him," Lucky murmured.

"Yes, but none of the other students had to go through what you had to, Lucky," Danny said.

"Ya well, I'm tired of bein' the exception to every rule," Lucky said, suddenly sounding irritated. "Even Lindsay had to go back an' try a second time when she was havin' troubles with it… I remember her talkin' about it. Then our third year they skipped Boggarts. It was because of me, wasn't it?"

"The Professor was afraid it'd have been too traumatic, Lucky," Danny admitted quietly. "Honestly, I think he was right. You weren't ready."

"Maybe. But I think I'm ready now," Lucky said, standing up. "I wanna see it again, Madame Brittle." Danny gazed at her searchingly. "Don't worry, I don't plan on torchin' it this time."

"Lucky, are you sure about this?"

"Well, if it's set up, I won't be caught unawares when it happens. I want to deal with this on my terms," Lucky said. Danny thought about it a moment, finally nodding.

"You know what, you're right. It'd be better if we set something up rather than you having to worry about it coming out when you don't expect it. Let me get with Sagittari, and if he is all right with this, I'll come get you at lunch. Is that all right?"

"Ya," Lucky said, and Danny gave her a thin smile.

"All right, I'll go check it off with the doctor then," Danny said and turned her attention to her coffee while Lucky managed to stuff the entire second éclair in her mouth before heading out to her first class. Danny got up with a smile, checking the time before hurrying through the passage over to the Potion Lab to have a word with Jennifer.

And just as promised, not long before Lucky sat down to eat, Danny strode into the Great Hall, taking a few moments to chat with several of the Slytherin before finally stepping over to see Lucky.

"If you have a few minutes after you eat, Lucky, I believe there's something you need to take care of," Danny said with a thin smile. Lucky immediately put down her sandwich, while Gary, Connie and Reggie looked between the two of them curiously.

"I think I'll eat a lot better once we get it over with," Lucky decided.

"What did you do this time, Lucky?" Gary wondered as she got up.

"Don't worry about it, okay?" Lucky said, also motioning to Ambrose who was sitting at the other table watching curiously. "I'll see you in class."

"Oh. All right," Ambrose said, watching curiously as they went out the back.

Jennifer stood near the door of the staff room, turning as if she were getting ready to pace, but when she saw Lucky and Danny she broke into a warm smile.

"What are you doin' here?" Lucky frowned.

"I've been shooing people away, actually," Jennifer said quietly. "And I'll stay out here and keep them out so you and Madame Brittle can work on this quietly." Lucky nodded at that, although she was obviously a bit suspicious of her true motives.

"Come on, Lucky. After such a jostling move, I seriously doubt he's gone anywhere past this room," Danny said.

"I don't think he has, Madame Brittle. I've noticed the closet rattle now and then," Jennifer offered.

True to her word, Jennifer stood at the door as the two of them went in, so Lucky tried not to think about the fact she was there and focused in on the supply cabinet. But after watching it a moment, she noticed it was the small coat closet in the room that was rattling instead.

"He always did like that wardrobe," Danny said with a smile. "Did you have a spell in mind, Lucky?" she asked, and the girl nodded warily. "Nothing lethal I hope," she chuckled, only half joking. Lucky shook her head.

"I'm gonna try an illusion," she said.

"It might help to talk it out," Danny said. "It might help you picture what you want to appear."

"No, I know it already," Lucky said evenly as Danny slid back the meeting table, stepping up in front of the wardrobe. "I just need a minute."

"Take your time, there's no rush," Danny said, leaning against the wardrobe completely unconcerned about the fact the rattling intensified when she did so.

Lucky stood there with her wand out but at a relaxed stance with the wand pointed at the floor as she stared at the closed door for a long time. None of them really knew how long she had stood there. The sounds outside the room seemed quite muffled and far away, the room curiously quiet despite the hour and how close it was to the hall itself. It was as if they were somehow suspended, but Jennifer never doubted it was simply the weight that Lucky was carrying that was holding it into place… the weight that even now she was tempting to lift. But at last Lucky nodded, shifting back on her foot to a slightly more defensive stance as Danny nodded in turn and unlatched the door.

Immediately the door opened, and Lucky quelled the suddenly leap of terror as the visage of the man came out once more… the same man who had hurt her and her mother so many countless times as well as her brother and sister, who she had tried so hard to protect. Fighting back had taken them all, for she had had no idea what she was capable of… no idea how to stop it, or even whether or not she could. There had been no choice. She had been given none. He had taken it from her… robbed her of all control… but that was something he could never take away from her again.

"_Phantasm Transcende!_" Lucky shouted giving her wand a powerful whipping movement right in front of her.

A white mist burst out of it, quickly taking shape and finally solidifying into the image of Severus Snape, who then stepped forward and planted his right fist against the other man's jaw with such force that the man went sailing back into the closet, the doors swinging shut behind him.

"Yes!" Danny said in sheer delight, shouting and howling louder than she had after winning the World Cup as she ran over to the girl and hugged her tightly. Incredible relief was evident on Lucky's face, and a strange exhaustion came over her. "You did it! Lucky, you did it! That was fantastic! Amazing! Brilliant! Unbelievable! Jennifer, did you see it? Wasn't that perfect?" she said, but Jennifer, still standing at the door, had to rub her eyes to even see, for tears were streaming down her face despite her wide smile.

"Absolutely perfect," Jennifer said enthusiastically, hurrying into get a hug as well, only receiving the mildest of protests in response. "It's over, Lucky… the worst is over now, you have nothing to fear anymore," she said, sounding as if she were trying to convince and comfort herself as much as the girl beside her.

"I wasn't afraid," Lucky snorted, and Danny and Jennifer gazed at her with dubious, questioning smiles. "I wasn't. I was in control the whole time. Nuthin' to be afraid of as long as you're in control."

"Now, I wonder who that sounds like?" Danny said with obvious amusement, while Jennifer smiled and hugged her daughter proudly.

"What in blazes is going on in here?" The three of them looked around in complete surprise to see Severus standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips and looking completely exasperated, while Hermione and Andrew were right behind him, trying to peek in. "Madame Brittle, I swear we heard you just as we came out of the library. Dare I ask an explanation for all of this? From anyone?" he amended, when Danny looked disinclined to answer, and was looking towards Lucky. Jennifer, who had quickly wiped off he cheeks, was looking towards Lucky as well.

"Humphrey's back," Lucky said expressionlessly. Severus gazed at her fixedly.

"Please tell me you didn't try roasting him again, Miss Snape," he said flatly.

"No, he's okay. I think," Lucky said, but then paused. "Maybe."

"I'll check on him, Severus," Jennifer offered.

"No, I'll handle that. Don't you have a class to teach?" he said in a disapproving tone. Jennifer smiled enigmatically at him, but dutifully walked out of the room. "And you, Miss Snape, don't you have a class as well?"

"Ya," Lucky said evenly, putting away her wand.

"I'll make sure she gets back to where she belongs, sir. I don't think she's eaten yet," Danny commented, and he nodded to her. As Lucky passed the doorway, she paused a moment as if to say something. Thinking better of it, she decided to continue down the hall.

"So, who won?" Severus murmured softly to Danny when she passed him to follow after her.

"You did, sir," Danny murmured back amusedly, and Severus frowned in confusion as she hurried to catch up to Lucky.

"You want me to go in there and check on him?" Andrew asked in a low voice after they had gone.

"No, I'll handle that, you two just start looking for those school records we were after. I'll join you in a moment," Severus said.

"All right, Severus," Hermione agreed, the two of them going the opposite direction towards the library.

Severus paused and watched them walk away before finally turning towards the closet, carefully opening it to reveal a very irate version of himself looking quite unhappy to be disturbed at all, glaring at him as if trying to kill him with his gaze.

"Having a rough day, are we, Humphrey?" Severus said quietly. "Welcome back, old friend. May you learn to be a bit more careful in choosing your victims in the future," he added, gently closing the closet door. Feeling much more reassured, Severus returned his attentions back towards work.

Jennifer went back to her class with a lighter heart, getting dirty looks from her class at the bubbling enthusiasm she had when she handed them their potion exams, mischievously asking Dale not to blow anything up when he got to the lab portion of the test. Afterwards, she dismissed them as they finished so they could have plenty of time to relax before their next classes. She, too, had intended of taking advantage of the extra time, fetching a bowl of porridge to substitute her missed lunch. Giving only a cursory glance towards the test phials of potion since they weren't yet cooled, Jennifer turned her attention to the written portion of their tests, wondering if she could get the majority of them marked.

She was just getting settled when she noticed a strange fog in the mirror. Quickly she went to her cloak pocket to pull out her worry stone while keeping a wary distance and studying the mirror. The stone was cool in her hands, but it gave no indication that anyone was watching or listening at all. Swiftly she murmured a series of detection spells, but even with the curious haze, the mirror indicated no magic influences upon it at all.

"What is going on?" Jennifer said to herself, stepping up to the mirror and towards her own blurry reflection.

But instead of seeing her own image, she saw what looked to be a hallway in St. Mungo's hospital. She was facing a room that was closed except for a thin crack in the door. The vision was focused in on that crack, despite the fact it was too thin of an opening to see anything beyond.

"Come sit down, Jennifer," came Severus' voice, and the Jennifer watching the scene jumped with surprise when she realized she had heard it coming from the mirror. "Behaving like this won't solve anything."

"Aren't you worried?" Jennifer's voice challenged him, but when she turned to look at him, she was too upset to read him.

"You already know the answer to that," Severus said evenly. "Come sit down, or perhaps you'd rather go get some tea?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Jennifer said flatly, turning back around and ignoring the soft sigh coming from behind her.

But it wasn't long before the door opened and Morfinn Bliant stepped out, his pale face and thin build unmistakable.

"Is he going to be all right?" Jennifer asked immediately as he paused at the door. He gestured and then walked over to where Severus was standing, coaxing her to follow.

"He's in a deep state of shock," Morfinn said quietly. "We've made him as comfortable as possible but he's fallen into a light coma of his own making."

"Aren't there ways you can pull him out of it?" Jennifer asked.

"Yes, Professor, but not safely, not at this point," Morfinn said seriously. "Resting is probably the best thing for him right now, rest and quiet. Hopefully regaining his strength will inspire his willpower to fight through this."

"Our son has always been a fighter, Morfinn, you know that as well as anyone," Severus said in a low voice.

"Yes, so I recall, but this isn't exactly normal circumstances, is it?" Morfinn said seriously. "If he doesn't pull himself out of this in the next few days, I'm afraid there isn't going to be much we can do. And if he sinks any deeper into this, it's quite possible that his body will decide to shut down on his own."

"Oh no!" Jennifer sobbed, Severus putting a gentle yet firm arm around her, while Morfinn's eyes were fixed on her.

"Now that's something I want you to control if you go in there, Professor Craw," he said gently. "Talk to him calmly… reassure him that he still has much to live for, or just talk quietly to each other, make your presence known. I'm going to make arrangements to move him to a more private long-term care room in a bit. After that, I'll allow other members of the family and close friends in as well."

"Thank you, Doctor," Severus said in a low voice. Morfinn nodded solemnly.

"Thank Doctor Sagittari, Professor Snape, for having the sense to send him here when he found him," Morfinn said, and then opened the door for them.

As they went in, the Jennifer watching the vision blinked in horror when she saw the still pale figure tightly wrapped with blankets lying in the hospital bed, realizing at once that it was Aurelius.

"Oh no! Aurelius!" the real Jennifer said out loud, dashing out the door even before the vision had time to fade, and straight up the stairs.

The door of the classroom was closed; it usually was these days. Jennifer popped it open with such force that Aurelius looked up in surprise, their gazes locked instantly on each other. It was then in that moment that Jennifer realized she had laid down her glasses and shut the door with the same force as she opened it with, making the first years jump. Aurelius rolled his eyes.

"Quiet, please, face front. If I see you looking away from your papers again I will take them and mark them as is, essays finished or not," he warned. But it was very difficult for the class not to risk glances up again when the serpentine bracelet he often wore suddenly seemed to come alive as he reached down and let the snake uncoil onto the floor. He then hissed a series of hisses that made the class jump again, then all the girls and most of the boys lifted up their feet as Achilles quickly slithered towards the door and worked his way underneath it. "Are you done then?" Aurelius snapped. "Or shall I just take five points off each student in the entire class?" Quickly they all turned back to their essays, and none of them dared look up after that.

Jennifer knew she had droned through most of her third year lecture, and was very glad when she got to her last class of the day, which happened to be a test. They did have a much longer lab though, and Jennifer tried not to be impatient, knowing it was in her students' best interests to take their time. As it happened, it ended up taking up the entire period, the last two cleaning up just when the class would have normally ended. But finally they left and Jennifer hurriedly bundled up the tests and grabbed the rack of test phials and pushed her way into her office. Had she not had her hands full, she probably would have reached for the locked box around her neck right then and there. But as it turned out it was a very good thing she hadn't, for Severus was sitting behind her desk with his nose in a book.

"Oh, Severus! You startled me!" Jennifer scolded him. "I nearly dropped these!"

"Sorry. I didn't want to disturb your class so came in the back," Severus explained. "I believe Hermione, Andrew and I were successful getting the full list of students to be inscribed in the fountain, although Hermione has decided to look up all the staff as a side project of sorts. Anyhow, do you have those final test keys put together?"

"Oh… I have them right here, but surely you didn't come down here for those. I would have put them on your desk when I came up for the night," Jennifer frowned.

"Since when do I need a reason to drop in?" Severus inquired. "I simply finished early and thought I'd keep you company while you wrapped up, since I know recently you've been having dinner with Ick on Mondays and you may have had something you wanted to talk to me about."

"Oh, yes! Lucky!" Jennifer said, her sudden guardedness washing away, while Severus blinked momentarily in surprise. "I can't believe I'd forgotten, I'm so sorry! Oh, Severus, it was wonderful! Did Danny tell you what happened?"

"A bit of it," Severus admitted. "She believes that Lucky may have gotten the idea for the illusion after Danny told her about that incident between Nelson and myself in the gym that one night."

"Yes, but don't you see, Severus? This means she finally accepts you as her father," Jennifer said happily.

"Father figure, perhaps. I wouldn't go so far as to say she accepts me as anything else yet," Severus said evenly. "She didn't acknowledge me on the way out of the room."

"I wouldn't read too much into that, Severus. You know how Lucky is. She was probably a bit embarrassed by the whole thing," Jennifer said, wrapping her arms around him. "I think she's finally starting to accept us as family."

"Next she'll have to learn how to accept herself as a part of the family," Severus mused.

"That won't be anywhere near as hard as what she's gone through so far this year, Severus," Jennifer said with a smile. "She knows that we truly do care about what happens to her now. She has finally realized that she doesn't have to tackle the entire world by herself anymore, and perhaps she's finally learning how to trust again."

"Yes. One down, one to go, I suppose," Severus said thoughtfully.

"Are you referring to me?" Jennifer asked in a tone that indicated she thought he was joking.

"Who else?" Severus asked, his serious tone subduing her taunting one.

"You need not worry about me, Severus," Jennifer said with a reassuring smile. "Now, really, I should be off before that blasted ghost comes down here to try and find me."

"Oh very well, since you're in such a hurry to be rid of me," Severus said expressionlessly, but this time Jennifer was quite certain he was joking.

"I'll be back to our rooms promptly at seven. If not, you have my permission to come looking for me," Jennifer said, kissing him gently before hurrying out the back door.

Behind her, Severus sat there a moment and let out a silent sigh, only too aware that Jennifer was probably letting out one of her own as she hurried down the stairs from the parapets and raced over to the North Tower. She kept her eyes looking straight ahead for she was more than a little afraid that she would catch a glimpse in a mirror somewhere along the way.

Unfortunately for Jennifer, she arrived to find Icarus in less than an agreeable mood. Not long after class let out, the ghost fell into a depression, and when Jennifer found him, he was sobbing profusely.

"Oh no, not now!" Jennifer groaned. "Icarus, really!"

"Go away! No more living people today! You are depressing me," Icarus said, fading.

"But I really need to talk to you! I keep seeing things in mirrors lately, Ick! Horrible things…"

"Well try makeup," said Ick's voice, coming from all around her.

"I didn't mean me!" Jennifer said, resisting the urge to open her pocket mirror to check her appearance. "I mean… well, it's like what I see in the Oracle… visions, from my point of view only I can hear them as well, and yet I can't seem to find any magical source for it. To be honest, it's starting to frighten me."

"Magical source? For visions? Haven't I taught you anything this year? You're even more dull-witted than my first year students who are only taking it because they have to take it, not because they have any interest or belief in what I teach. They all hate me, I know they do…" Icarus said, sobbing again.

"Oh, please don't start that again, Ick! If you have any ideas what's causing it, I'll be glad to hear them. I have been wondering if perhaps it might be some side effect of using the Obol too much or something," Jennifer said.

"You can't get clairvoyance just from using a Divination device, you foolish woman! Visions lie within, not without! You either have the gift or you haven't!"

"Then how do you explain what is happening to me, Ick?" Jennifer demanded. "I've never had a vision in my life, now all the sudden I can't look in the mirror without getting some impression of the future."

"Maybe what you're seeing isn't the future. Maybe you're simply having delusions. You could be going mad…"

"I am not going mad," Jennifer said flatly.

"How would you know?" Icarus' voice challenged.

"You are no help at all today," Jennifer sighed, sitting down with a brooding expression on her face.

"Good. Then go away," Icarus said.

"Perhaps you do have one point," Jennifer murmured. "Perhaps what I've been seeing aren't visions at all, but something simply put there to frighten me… Viviane. Do you suppose she is behind this? She was quite angry with me for helping Merlin…"

"I warned you a long time ago to watch out for her, Jennifer! But you wouldn't listen! You never listen to me!" scolded Icarus, sounding quite distressed.

"Well, I certainly didn't think she'd do something like this!" Jennifer said, unlocking the box around her neck. "Not that I understand exactly how or what she did to me, but I must know if these visions are real or not!"

"You know, I wouldn't use that if I were you," Icarus said, the warning tone in his voice sounding a bit saner than it had a few moments ago. "You're likely only to make things worse if you do."

"I simply want to confirm something I've already seen Ick," Jennifer said. "Is Aurelius in any immediate danger?" she asked and flipped the coin.

As the coin spun on Charon, a vision began to appear with Aurelius standing in Thomas's office along with a crowd of people, including Mr. Coventry and Mr. Coffers (who both looked quite agitated) and Adler. As the vision faded, Draco and Severus walked in together, and from the calm look on Aurelius' face, it was obvious that Coventry was going to once again find himself on the wrong end of the decision.

"This wasn't what I was looking for at all!" Jennifer said.

"You proved that he wasn't in immediate danger, Jennifer, what more could a mother want?" Icarus' voice echoed.

"But it doesn't disprove what I saw in the mirror," Jennifer sighed. "It only means it isn't going to happen within the next month, if Father's calendar was correct. And really, even that doesn't prove it considering I know for a fact that these images can be changed."

"Then why use the Obol at all?" Icarus said. Jennifer, who had been wondering the same thing, decided to put it away.

"Perhaps she expects me to use it. Perhaps she's hoping I'm going to see something that I'll rush out to try and fix and end up getting myself in a mess I can't get out of. Well, I'm not falling for it," Jennifer decided, locking it up and putting it away. "I'm not using the Obol anymore, no matter what I see in those mirrors. I'm not going to let her manipulate me," Jennifer said resolutely.

"It doesn't sound to me as if she'll need to do any more manipulating at all," Icarus tittered. "The visions will do her work for her, if I'm not mistaken."

"Oh, who asked you?" Jennifer scowled, deciding she had enough.

"You did," Icarus said, the voice seeming to trail behind her as she walked towards the steps. "Although as usual, I see you plan not to listen. You never have when it's important. Must you always take the Craw stubbornness thing too far at all the worst times?"

"I'm not going to let her get to me, Ick. As for the mirrors, I'll simply have to try avoiding them for awhile," she decided, walking down the stairs. But Icarus stayed within the Tower, feeling another wave of depression coming on.

"Jennifer Craw Snape? Avoiding mirrors?" Icarus repeated in disbelief. "Oh, dear. This isn't likely to end well," he said as he began to sob again.


	43. The Guardian of Fate

_A/N last two chapters will be released today! Hope you like the book._

Chapter Forty-Three

The Guardian of Fate

It didn't take long for Jennifer to realize the sheer futility in the idea of avoiding mirrors entirely; for even if she refused to look at them to study her own thoughts as she often did at random points of the day, she still had to get herself in order for classes every day. She had even considered going back to her braided hairstyle for a while so she wouldn't have to look in the mirror to fix her hair, but realized how completely suspicious that would look and discounted the idea.

It was only a few days later that she came to regret that decision, for it was as she was twisting her hair into her customary pillowed bun that the mirror of her vanity began to fog. She found herself frozen, knowing she should turn away but somehow couldn't manage it when she saw she was crouched down behind some bushes with a wand in hand as if spying on someone. As she peered around the corner, she nearly cried out in surprise when she realized it was Severus she was spying on, and watched in sheer horror as he bent over to kiss a lithe young blonde haired woman who seemed undeniably enamored with him.

A sudden peel of thunder could be heard in the distance, but Jennifer could plainly see the soft glow off the tip off the wand as if it had been the sound of the noise.

"What was that?" the woman asked, looking around suspiciously.

"Perhaps a storm is on the way. Does it matter?" Severus murmured to her, kissing her cheek as she turned to look up.

"But it was so clear a few moments ago, and the sky brilliant with stars," she murmured. "Perhaps it is a bad omen. Perhaps we'll be discovered by those who would try to stop us."

"I don't believe in omens, dearest, you should know it well by now, just as you know my old life is a world away. No one even knows where I've gone, let alone what I'm doing at this moment."

"And what of your wife?" the woman asked. She stepped away with a fluid graceful movement, as if intentionally trying to entice him simply through her alluring walk and perfectly pursed lips. "You fought ever-so against my father's wishes when you first came here, swearing you would never be with another."

"I had many reasons to be bitter when I was first brought here, my love," Severus murmured to her softly, drawing his hand down her bare arm to grasp her hand. "But she is gone now, and you have taught me that this world has much more to offer, as do you." Another round of thunder rang out, and the woman looked nervous again, pressing up against Severus and looking warily at the sky. "Perhaps we should get indoors before the rain starts. I know of a place nearby where we can seek shelter," he said as he turned away from her, glancing around as if suddenly suspicious.

"It is well. I will stay with you tonight, Severus Snape," the woman said lovingly.

But as he reached for her arm once more, there was a rustle in the bushes and the view suddenly pulled away from the scene and went diving through the thick forest towards a tall shadow of a building.

But before Jennifer could figure out where the vision was going, it faded abruptly. Letting out an exclamation of surprise, Jennifer stood up.

"That was… that was utter nonsense!" she declared. She stared at her reflection, who other than looking horrified seemed to be in complete agreement. "Severus would never leave me again, no matter what the circumstances! He's changed, he's… I don't know where that was supposed to be. It didn't even look like a real place! And that woman… nobody is _really _built like that!" she said fervently and then frowned, glancing critically at her figure in the relection. "No, no, I refuse to believe it!" she said, practically running to get away from the mirror.

She hurried through the bedroom and into Severus' sitting room, taking a quick look around before pushing her way into his office to find him in his customary position at his desk, working.

"Oh, there you are. I was just about to check on you to make sure you hadn't overslept… is something the matter?" he asked when he finally looked up and saw the strange expression on her face.

"No, no, nothing is the matter, really. I was just… well, I was thinking, is all. Severus, do you like my hair this color?" Jennifer asked. Severus dropped his quill and stared at her serious expression. Not only did she not have her spectacles on, but she was gazing at his face with an intensity that she hadn't in some time.

"Need you even ask such a question?" Severus asked, so openly curious by what prompted such a thing that it was impossible for Jennifer to read past it. Jennifer sighed.

"I was simply wondering, Severus," Jennifer said. "It was a rather straight forward question, and I was just thinking of perhaps trying something different."

"Something different?" Severus repeated, even more baffled than before. "Well, I suppose it's your hair so you can do what you like, but I very much prefer it the way it is."

"Oh, well, in that case," Jennifer said, distractedly rubbing her arm.

"Care to stay for some coffee and toast before you head down? Or are you planning on filling that breakfast cart with pastries again this morning?" Severus said in a disapproving tone.

"Why? Do you think I'm getting too fat?" Jennifer frowned, causing Severus to blink again.

"I said no such thing. But your students will if you keep that breakfast cart up," Severus said. "Jennifer, why don't you sit down for a moment and tell me what's going on?"

"I was only asking, Severus. It'd only take me an hour or so to brew something up to fix my weight, you know, although don't know what to do about my back," Jennifer said. Severus stared at her. "Madame Mercier once told me that my back was too muscular."

"Who?" Severus asked flatly.

"You know, the fashion designer who made the dress with the button you stole," Jennifer said. "Perhaps I should cut down on doing forms… or maybe just cut down on these," Jennifer said, frowning at a butter tablet she had fished out for herself.

Severus sighed in complete exasperation, abandoning his work so that he could get up and draw her into a long passionate kiss. Then he gently pulled away, holding her chin in place so that her eyes would meet hers.

"You, Jennifer, are perfect as you are. Don't you dare let anything or anyone convince you otherwise," he said evenly.

"Well, you said I was perfect when we were first married, so how can I possibly be perfect now as much as I've changed?" Jennifer challenged him.

"Really, Jennifer, must you be so argumentative when you've successfully baited me into giving you a complement? It's worse than gloating about it," Severus scolded gently. "You were perfect for me as I was then, and you are perfect for me as I am now. And no, you may not get that button back," he added for good measure, finally getting a tentative smile from Jennifer in return. "But I think it's high time you put that chain of yours on. It arrived this morning."

"Chain?" Jennifer said.

"The Snoop Chain I ordered for you? Surely you haven't forgotten already. That incident with the mirror?" Severus said, going over to his desk to unwrap the brown paper off the box.

"The mirror… wait a moment. Why weren't you wearing your Snoop Chain? You should have sensed me!" Jennifer exclaimed, making Severus stare at her again. But suddenly his expression changed.

"Jennifer, I haven't taken it off. I very seldom take it off, as you well know, and if it will put you at more at ease, I promise not to take it off again," Severus said.

"You wouldn't take it off even if you thought something had happened to me?" Jennifer asked, Severus paused a moment to gaze at her before opening the box to take the chain out.

"If it is what you want, I will wear it all my life, even though I do not believe my life would last long in this world without you in it," Severus murmured, fastening her chain on for her.

"Perhaps it wouldn't be as bad as you think, Severus. Perhaps you would meet someone new," Jennifer whispered, and she felt Severus stiffen behind her.

"Are you in some sort of danger, Jennifer?" he asked quietly.

"No," Jennifer said, gazing at his worried expression, realizing belatedly that her attempts at reassuring herself seemed to be having the opposite effect on Severus. "No, Severus, not that I'm aware of, at any rate. I was just… well, rambling, now that I think of it. I'm sorry, I suppose I was being silly." Severus gazed at her searchingly a moment, reluctantly nodding in acceptance.

"You had best be off to class then… but eat something first," Severus said with an accusing frown.

"I'll have a bowl of porridge, Severus, not to worry," Jennifer reassured him, sounding like she was back to her old self again.

"Well, save the evening for me, if you don't mind. I need to take care of some things this weekend and likely will be out of the castle for most of it," Severus warned.

"All right, Severus," Jennifer said with a warm smile before heading to the back. Severus stood there frowning after her for a long time before sluggishly making his way back to his desk and slumping back in his chair.

* * *

Jennifer awoke Saturday to find Severus had already gone, but a breakfast tray sitting next to her with fresh coffee and a small bouquet of alchemist's roses. It had been quite some time since he had made them for her, and she couldn't help but have a smile on her face from the memories it brought back. Her worries had been easily washed away by that gesture, shaking her head and thinking about how foolish she had been acting. She owed him an explanation, that much was certain; and by the time she had done her morning walk around the grounds had decided to tell him what had prompted her behavior the moment he got back to the castle.

She was quite sure he would shake his head at it, and about her not telling him before. He would probably even come to the same conclusion that she had, that Viviane was behind it all. He might even scold her gently as he often used to for even believing that he would ever look at another woman again; although she did truly regret ever mentioning him finding someone else after her death. It had been quite selfish for her to have wanted him to promise that there would never be another, and quite unfair. It was her fears that prompted it, not love. Fear had been prompting a lot of how she had been acting lately, she realized, but she wasn't quite sure how to make things right again.

Jennifer worked her way back to her office for a quick bowl of porridge before Quidditch and football practice started for the day, taking only a moment to open the windows and check the lab animal cages before stepping inside, grabbing a bowl and sitting contentedly on the couch where she could prop her feet up.

It was then that the mirror began to fog again.

Jennifer decided to ignore it, staring into her porridge and sitting up in an attempt to keep from looking in its direction. It would go away eventually, she thought to herself. It was her own mind that was causing it, she was sure of that now; for the chain on her neck was not reacting at all, nor were any of the magic sensors she had placed around the room in hopes of catching something. And since she was the one causing it, it should go away, she reasoned.

She didn't think it would simply wait for her.

As she put down her bowl and got up to get her cloak, the mirror was still filled with fog, but before she could turn away again, the fog lifted to reveal a graveyard on a dark, drizzling afternoon, packed with wizards and witches all in black for what appeared to be a very large funeral. She heard sobbing so loud that it seemed to be coming from the mirror itself, and a chill went down her spine when she realized it was her own.

"Mum?" A handsome man with silvery hair stood in front of the mirror with a concerned expression on his face. She couldn't even make a guess to who it could have been, and yet he called her Mum?

"I can't do this. Please, I can't go up there," Jennifer's voice whispered. The man glanced around helplessly, and she heard him call Corey's name. It was then that Corey appeared and paused to hug her, wrapping her arm around her.

"It's all right, Mom. We're here, we're all here," Corey said.

"Alex isn't," Jennifer murmured.

"No, but Jay is. He has his mother's eyes," Corey said gently.

"He has his grandfather's eyes," Jennifer's voice murmured, sobbing again.

"Anything I can do?" said a familiar voice, and the vision turned to see Ginger Davidson standing there, looking about the same age as Corey.

"Yeah, get everyone over here, every Snape in the lot," Corey said. "We're going over as a family."

"You're right, we Snapes need to stick together at times like this," Ginger agreed, disappearing again.

Within seconds it seemed that the mirror was inundated with people Jennifer knew well from people she didn't know at all; Andrew, Aurelius, and Alicia, Corey and the silver-haired man, to a beautiful dark-haired woman which could only be Lucky and a whole slew of grandchildren only a few of which did she actually recognize; the auburn-haired dark-eyed Janus being one of them, for he truly did look like his mother. They walked together then en masse, everyone stepping out of their way, including Valid and Dumbledore, standing together with crushed expressions like she had never seen either of them wear before. But it didn't long to figure out why; for near a grand monument in the middle of the graveyard sat the ornate black casket of Severus Snape.

Jennifer let out a piercing scream before whipping out her wand and blasting the mirror to pieces.

"No, no, no! I didn't see what I thought I saw! It's just an illusion! A mere reflection of the future! It's not the truth! It's not the truth!" Jennifer shouted out loud. "I know it isn't! And I can prove it!"

Jennifer pulled out the box around her neck and wrestled with the key to get it out, taking nearly twice as long to get it because of her panic. She held it out in front of her with a determined look on her face.

"Will Severus die before me?" Jennifer asked the Obol.

And she stood there, holding it…staring at the coin resting on her thumb, waiting for her to toss it.

But after several minutes of standing there, her left hand came up and covered it and she fell to the ground in tears.

"I can't… I can't. I can't do this anymore. I can't live with these visions anymore! I don't want to know any more!" Jennifer said, sobbing profusely. "Oh, help! What am I going to do? How can I get through another day fearing that I might look in a mirror and see something I don't want to see? How in craters can anyone live like this?" She asked, feeling herself shaking. But slowly, her shaking stopped. "Merlin," she murmured. "He has to deal with seeing the future all the time… that poor man. And poor Ick! How can they help but be a bit mad? But I need help. I can't do this," Jennifer said, struggling to get to her feet and wrestling on her cloak.

She raced out of the castle, ignoring the query of John as she pelted past where he was working in the hall, running as fast as she could to the edge of the property. Apparating mid-stride, she came toppling out on the streets of Hogsmeade and dashed straight in to Toby's Trinkets, ignoring the bold sign announced, "Opening Next Tuesday."

But when Toby looked up, he didn't seem surprised to see her. Instead, he smiled at her.

"I know you. You're Jennifer Craw Snape, aren't you? I made you those spectacles, didn't I? Is something the matter?" he asked, and Jennifer simply nodded, still out of breath but looking quite upset. "Come, come, sit down, my dear. I can't stand seeing a damsel in distress, especially as one as lovely as you are. What is the matter? Has someone died?" Toby asked with a frown, and Jennifer laughed bitterly at the irony of the question. "Here, let me get you some tea. You can't possibly talk in the state your in. You must have had quite a turn, but it's all right, everything will be all right now, you're quite safe now."

"Not quite safe. I can't be safe from myself," Jennifer said miserably.

"Oh, well, that is true enough," Toby admitted, sitting a cup in front of her and waited for her to have a sip of the tea. "Feeling any better?"

"Calmer," Jennifer murmured. "Not better."

"Well, that'll do for the moment. I suppose it is safe to assume you didn't blunder in here on accident. What was it you needed to speak to me about?"

"Viviane," Jennifer said, Toby immediately furrowing his brows. "Somehow she did this to me, and I don't know what to do!"

"Ah, so you're the one she's rampaging about! You visited me when I was in that tree, didn't you? And you were the one that sent Ambrose after me to help me escape?" Toby asked.

"Yes, that was me," Jennifer sighed. "And because of that and a few other little attempts to change fate, she has decided to grant me visions in mirrors. But they're awful, Toby! Absolutely awful!"

"How do you know they're true visions? How can you be sure they aren't simply illusions put there to frighten you?" Toby asked.

"I don't," Jennifer admitted. "Although I could find out it's just…. I just can't bear the thought of testing it." Toby frowned.

"How could you test it? Other than actually living through the event, I mean?"

"Oh, with the Obol," Jennifer said, getting it out and putting it on the counter. "It answers yes and no questions about the future, and often shows visions from the tosser's perspective."

"Yes, I have heard of this coin," Toby said, picking up and inspecting it. "Greek mathematician invented it as I recall. I saw it demonstrated once, many centuries ago. But how did you get it?"

"It's a school artifact. Helga Hufflepuff once owned it," Jennifer explained. "I was using it for an experiment."

"Now I remember! Your son once 'borrowed' this Obol as well, didn't he? Aurelius?"

"Yes, although I'm afraid I've gotten myself into a lot more trouble with it than he did, considering I actually changed some of the events I've seen within it," Jennifer said. Toby looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, and then rewarded her with an enigmatic smile.

"I think am beginning to understand just how you've gotten Viviane into such a tizzy. You really have gotten yourself into a mess haven't you?"

"I've also gotten a lot of people out of messes too, thank you very much," Jennifer said defensively. "Including you."

"Which did nothing but infuriate her all the more, I see," Toby said. "You had better put it safely away, and if you want my advice, do not use it again. The future is at its best when it is undecided."

"You won't get any arguments from me on that!" Jennifer said emphatically, putting the coin away. "But how is it that you understand that? I mean, you've always had future memory."

"Up until now, yes," Toby nodded. "But memories of any kind are no substitute for the present."

"That is true," Jennifer sighed. "And I've learned it the hard way, and now I can't stop what's happening to me. I am being tortured by these horrible visions! I can't live like this, Mr. Toby! How can you stand it? How can you remember so many horrible things as I'm sure you must, and still get up in the mornings? I've seen only a handful and it's already more than I can bear. How do you live with that?"

"By changing them, of course," Toby said with a warm smile. "By doing exactly what you have been doing with that Obol and making smart decisions that keep them from ever happening and in the process erasing them from my memory. Fixing things, Jennifer, is my sanity," he said, taking a dragon piggy bank he was working on. "Fixing things by helping people make the right decisions in their lives, and teaching them that they have the ultimate control over their own fates."

"You can't fix everything, Toby," Jennifer murmured. "You can't fix death."

"I didn't know death was broke," Toby said with a sparkle in his blue eyes as he inspected the coin mechanism. "Oh, it might be a temporarily suspended in a case or two," he said with a wink. "But definitely not broke, we are mortals, after all. The world by its very nature is always in the process of renewing itself. The trick, of course, is to die on one's own terms, although I'm afraid that is something that Icarus and Ciara both had some trouble achieving."

"Yes," Jennifer agreed quietly. "But then very few people truly accomplish that."

"True enough," Toby said with a gentle gaze. "But I think the best thing for you to do is simply to strive to live well in the present, Jennifer, for as long as you do that, and make your decisions with thoughtfulness and consideration to others around you as well as yourself, the future should take care of itself."

"Only if I can get the future to leave me alone," Jennifer muttered.

"Well, I'm still not quite convinced that is exactly what you're seeing, but I do agree something ought to be done about it," Toby said. "I think it's about time I went down there and had another little chat with our dear Lady."

"What? Are you sure she won't just try to put you under a tree again?"

"Quite unlikely. I remember a lot more of the facts now that occurred over the last twenty years, even if I am a bit sketchy on the details. I can handle it easy enough," he assured her.

"All the same, I should go with you," Jennifer said.

"That might be rather dangerous, Jennifer," Toby admitted.

"Yes, I know. She's threatened me to stay away from her property before, actually," Jennifer said. "But it is my mess, after all, and no matter how this turns out, I really ought to be there to face the consequences of my decisions."

"Very well, Jennifer, I can respect that," Toby said, grabbing a piece of paper to leave a note for Ashley. "Although I must warn you that while we are in her territory, you being under my protection will not go far."

"I understand," Jennifer said with a sigh.

"Then come, let's see what we can do to clear the matter up, shall we?" Toby said, offering his arm. "Although I dare say this is going to be a battle of wits rather than any other sort of confrontation, so keep on your guard," he advised as they walked out of the shop.

* * *

The brush and trees had all grown leaves since the last time Jennifer had been to the Lake. Tiny wildflowers were scattered under the trees wherever there was a patch of light, and songbirds sung to each other in the distance. Merlin couldn't help but breathe a deep sigh and smile as he touched the oak tree he had been entrapped within, obviously quite pleased at the tree's leafy branches and good health.

"No worse for the wear, it would seem, for having an old goat chewing up its insides," Merlin said.

"That is good to hear," Jennifer said much more somberly than she had intended.

"Now, try not to worry, Jennifer. Viviane can often be reasonable, except when she isn't," Merlin said as they stepped over to the cliff. Jennifer gave him a dirty look. "Let's see if we can get her to come up here. No reason for us to go trespassing down there if we can help it, especially if she's gone out of her way to warn you to stay away from it."

"So she has," Jennifer sighed.

"And yet you are still here," said a voice from behind them as Viviane walked out of the woods, her gaze fixed on Jennifer.

"We are here to parlay," Merlin said quickly, taking a step in front of her.

"Are you?" Viviane said thoughtfully, but then nodded. "Yes, I suppose it would be expecting too much for Jennifer to be willing to simply surrender."

"Surrender?" Jennifer frowned.

"You did tell me that you were responsible for your own decisions, did you not?" Viviane said. "Or did you come to deny that you have been interfering in other people's destinies, meddling in my personal affairs, and in some cases attempting to change the direction of fate itself?"

"Now, that is a human's right to free will, Viviane," Merlin said sternly.

"To try and change her own fate, perhaps," Viviane said coolly. "But she has been much too busy trying to orchestrate other's fates to do that, and _against_ their free will. Let her deny this if she can; did Aurelius or did he not repeatedly ask you not to interfere in his future path?"

"I wasn't about to let my son die, Viviane…"

"Yes or no will suffice, Jennifer," Viviane interrupted. "After all, isn't that what you've been acting upon this entire time? Yes and no?" she said with a thin, challenging smile. "Did he not ask you to stop interfering?"

"Yes," Jennifer said irritably.

"And yet you proceeded to get involved, and even interfered in his quest for the scabbard, did you not?" Viviane inquired.

"I'm hardly the only person who has interfered with quests concerning that sword, Viviane. At least my intentions were honorable, which I can't say is the case for anyone else who has tried interfering with that sword's duty…"

"Are you implying then that you had the right to interfere with the quest at all?" Viviane asked crisply.

"Well, someone had to after the way you set them up and tricked Merlin to step aside and let you do so! I did what I had to do to keep them safe!" Jennifer snapped.

"Quests aren't supposed to be safe," Viviane said primly. "In the process of keeping them 'safe,' you were undermining everything they were attempting to do. And honestly, between that and their decision to bribe someone to steal the scabbard for them at the end, invalidates the entire quest in my opinion."

"What!" Jennifer exclaimed.

"Yes, so I'm afraid he's going to have to find something else to fetch," Viviane concluded.

"He'll do no such thing," Merlin intervened. "Perhaps the quest was a bit unconventional, yes, but they had no choice but to use unconventional means to accomplish this feat! These are not the times of quests, Viviane! They exist mainly within the imaginations of those that live in this day and age. It was unfair not only to trick my son into pulling that blasted sword out of retirement in the first place, but of asking such a task of Aurelius and his companions when the world that scabbard came out of has all but faded! Even in their world… the magic world… where their culture and longevity have aided to preserve history that the rest of the world has long forgotten, times have changed. They have become more sophisticated; more goal oriented, seeking to tame magic rather than worship it."

"And in the process, their knowledge of Ancient and Wild magic have declined for years, Ancient most of all," Viviane pointed out.

"I do not deny it. It is why I am here, is it not?" Merlin said evenly.

"I believe you are simply here to meddle," Viviane said curtly.

"I beg your pardon, I thought that was what you were accusing Jennifer of. Thanks to your own interference in the matter, I have been somewhat indisposed," Merlin said. "But if Jennifer has acted to aid the quest in my absence, I fully endorse it. She came to me for advice, and acted on my suggestion as to how to go about accomplishing this feat of yours and therefore was acting as my surrogate."

"Jennifer is not your apprentice, Merlin, Severus is," Viviane said crisply. "And he wisely chose to stay out of the affair, except for perhaps helping Aurelius acquire the scabbard when they found it. But why he chose to stand by and do nothing while his wife was running amuck is beyond me."

"Yes, it would be beyond you. So much for women's lib," Merlin said with fire in his eyes.

"Hardly, Merlin. I expected Jennifer to intervene when Severus was behaving irrationally last year, and it seems that she failed miserably at that as well," Viviane said.

"Frankly Viviane, I don't care what you think about how I acted last year, because as far as I'm concerned it really wasn't any of your business," Jennifer said.

"Everything you do is my business. You declared me an enemy of your family… or have you conveniently forgotten that?" Viviane said.

"Considering you're constantly giving me more reasons to have done so, no I haven't," Jennifer retorted. "My son should never have ended up with that sword in the first place, Viviane, and a lot of what has happened is your fault as much as anyone else's!"

"I had nothing to do with Ambrose removing that sword, Jennifer," Viviane said coolly.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have kidnapped him in the first place!" Jennifer snapped.

"Wait, wait, wait! This is getting us nowhere!" Merlin said, throwing up his hands. "Viviane, you've had your say, so why don't you act like a lady for a change and do away with these nasty visions that Jennifer has been getting?"

"No, I don't think I shall," Viviane said. "She has obviously tampered with the fates of others and has admitted as much, even when it was against their will, and yet she also quite obviously does not regret it."

"No I don't! I don't regret it for an instant! I did nothing but try to make Aurelius, Lucky and Ambrose's lives a bit more tolerable! If I hadn't, Aurelius might have been dead, Lucky may never have come to terms with herself, and Ambrose wouldn't have his father! And maybe you are right in that it is not my place to mess with the paths of others, but it is my job and duty to do what I can for my family and my students, and I'll do what I have to do to preserve it no matter what the cost!" Jennifer swore.

"Even at the risk of your own life?" Viviane inquired.

"Careful, Jennifer," Merlin murmured, not liking the tone in her voice at all.

"Absolutely," Jennifer said fervently.

"Then I will make you a deal," Viviane said readily. "You come in to the caves with me and stand before the crystals to face your judgment, and I will promise to remove those nasty visions and overlook your recent interference."

"NO!" Merlin burst out in horror, pulling the stone-faced Jennifer back from Viviane. "No, Viviane! That would destroy her and you know it!"

"Well, that isn't up to me, is it?" Viviane said smoothly.

"Merlin," Jennifer said softly. "I can't live like this, I just can't…"

"You do not understand, Jennifer," Merlin said firmly. "I may not remember all your deeds, but I remember enough to know that what you would see down there is not something you could bear. Lies, lies, countless lies mixed in with the truth to the point that you cannot tell the difference! Future possibilities that are probably much worse than any you have already seen, and variations in your past that look so real you feel as if you truly lived through them!"

"I don't understand what you mean by that," Jennifer frowned.

"What he means is that when you go in there you will be confronted with all the pieces of your own soul at once," Viviane said. "The good and the bad, the truth and the lies, the choices you've made as well as all the choices you could have made. It will open up both the future and your past and let you explore your joys and fears. But beware, should your fears be greater than your strengths, should the possibilities be too unbearable, you will inevitably start down a terrible spiral, and as the darkness grows within you, it will also grow in the mirrors. I am of the opinion it will not take you long to falter; for you have come close to death a great many times… more, perhaps, than you might realize. For example, what do you suppose would have happened if Aurelius had truly turned against the family as a child, Jennifer?"

"I would be dead," Jennifer admitted, glancing at Merlin's worried face. "As would everyone else, considering Ciardoth would have won. I never would have returned to Hogwarts as long as my child was not there, and I would have more than likely died by Malfoy's hand before the universe was destroyed."

"Yes, there were many times where you could have been dead by his hand, come to think of it," Viviane mused. "That incident where your father intervened comes to mind, that will be a pretty death to see for certain; you will more than likely live through them all should you end up on that downward spiral. Perhaps you would have died that night that Merlin first came when you challenged Malfoy to a duel. Perhaps Baylor might have killed you when you still had no idea who you were. You could see what it would have been like to suffocate under the Beansidhe Mound…or perhaps you die from a poisoned ladle, that night Dumbledore went back in time to save your life… or perhaps even death by poison from Severus' own hand; a mercy killing, when his kiss failed to wake you up in the first place. Of course, there would be more than deaths in the visions, I'm sure. I wouldn't be surprised if the very first thing you see when you go in there is what things might have been like had Severus never come back last year and that daemon succeeded in seducing him, although I rather detest the idea of sitting through such lurid scenes. It might be fun watching you sit through them though," Viviane added, while Jennifer looked straight towards the lake with an expression of molded plaster. "Then again, you could be strong enough to come out of it with a strand of sanity left, one never knows. I doubt it, however, as does Merlin."

"She is not going in that cave, Viviane," Merlin said firmly.

"Oh, well, then have fun never having to look in a mirror again, Jennifer. It is fair punishment indeed, I think, considering how vain she is. She can't even organize her own thoughts without one! Look, Merlin, even now she's considering going throught with it! Even with the warning!" Viviane said in both amusement and disgust. "Are you really as foolish to think you would survive it? Or are you just that shallow?"

"I know I wouldn't survive it," Jennifer said quietly. "But at least I'd know I wouldn't have to live with these blasted visions for any longer. I do have one condition, however," Jennifer added, lifting up her head and finally looking at Viviane dead on. "I want to see Severus first."

"You are in no position to bargain," Viviane snorted. "The deal has already been offered. You either come with me now, or walk away, but if you do so, I will not offer it again. You will have to live with the decision... and the visions."

"And I refuse to make a decision one way or another without my husband's input! This affects his life as much as my own, and I am not going to do that to him!" Jennifer said firmly.

"Let her see her husband, Viviane, or is there some specific reason you don't want her to see him right now?" Merlin challenged her. "Intimidated perhaps?"

"Hardly!" Viviane said. "But if you think I'm going to let her slip away from me now, you're quite mistaken. You will come with me at once, Jennifer, or I swear to you that you will never be able to endure another glance in the mirror as long as you live."

"I want to see Severus now!" Jennifer shouted, refusing to back down.

"Did someone call me?" Severus asked.

All three of them whirled around in complete surprise to see Severus standing there as if he had been watching for some time and yet as calm as if he had been simply taking a stroll around the castle.

"Severus!" Jennifer said in surprise and relief, unable to keep her eyes from watering as she hugged him. "Severus, I'm so sorry…" she began but then found his finger pressed against her lips.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Severus said in a gentle but firm voice, and there was a curious reassurance in his eyes that washed over her and settled her as well. "You have nothing to be sorry about," he said again in a much louder tone, "because you have done nothing wrong." Viviane squinted at him.

"You couldn't possibly be that much of a fool," Viviane said curtly. "You cannot possibly be so blind to not have known what she's been doing these past few months!"

"On the contrary, I know exactly what she's been doing," Severus said evenly, stepping over to Viviane. "And as such, I would like to say some words in her defense."

"She has already confessed, Severus. Any defense you have will hardly make a difference," Viviane said.

"Oh really?" Severus said with a fixed gaze. "If I know Jennifer, she has confessed only to the fact that she did what she thought best for her family and school, and if that is the case, she has simply acted within her nature and therefore has only changed what was meant to be changed, and accomplished only what it was meant for her to accomplish. She was following her fate, Aunt Viviane, and therefore she could not possibly have changed anyone else's fate unless they were meant to be changed to begin with."

"Am I understanding this correctly?" Viviane said in open surprise, while Merlin gazed at him speculatively. "You are attempting to make the argument that what she was doing was fated to happen? You do not even believe fate exists!"

"What I believe or don't believe is beside the point. The fact that I am standing here is proof in and of itself," Severus said. "Have you not yet wondered exactly how it was I knew to come here to look for Jennifer? Her exit from the castle, if I'm not mistaken, was quite spontaneous."

"You always show up at the last moment," Viviane snorted.

"Perhaps it is fate that allows me to do so," Severus said evenly, and Viviane gazed at him dubiously. "Perhaps it was because before all of this started, I took a single precaution," he said, glancing at Jennifer who was watching him intently. "You see, when I agreed to let Jennifer borrow Hufflepuff's Obol for this experiment of hers, I knew very well it could go one of two ways… quite literally. So the night before I gave it to her, even as we were laying down the ground rules to using the thing…"

"Which she quickly broke," Viviane interrupted.

"I decided to make a coin toss of my own," Severus said, ignoring the interruption. "One toss, and one question that I realized afterwards was probably a bit too vague; but I asked it if giving Jennifer the Obol a good idea. And after showing me the Oracle, I saw my own hands… laced as I have the habit of doing when I'm thinking or stressed over something, and I was at my desk in the Headmaster's Study with no obvious work before me. I watched those hands pull over my appointment book, glance at the date, and then flip over to today's date. After circling the hour, I wrote, 'Appointment at Viviane's Lake, Attend Without Fail,' in letters large enough to be easily seen and read before the Obol's vision faded."

"Clever," Merlin ventured.

"Yes, although I myself didn't realize how clever at the time I saw it, nor did I understand why I would have seen such a vision or done such a thing as obviously playing to it by writing it large enough to be seen within the Obol's vision. I didn't understand until just before I wrote it, actually, that all the gaps in Jennifer's foreknowledge seemed to be during the events that happened at this Lake. It's probably because the Obol had trouble discerning details in such close proximity to an area so heavily influenced by another world as this one, not that that the reason why I chose to write the message is really important. What is important is that since that one toss, I have not laid one hand on the Obol, nor have I interfered with anything that has been done with it since that point by Jennifer."

"Obviously," Viviane said evenly.

"Then explain to me, Aunt Viviane, if Jennifer has supposedly changed fate, what are we all doing here?" Severus said. "If Jennifer had changed fate as dramatically as you claim, I should have arrived to find no one here. I should have never found reason to write in my appointment book to begin with. Yet here we are, and I am quite certain that everything is playing out just as it was meant to when I first tossed that coin. In fact, if fate changed at all during this year, it happened when that sword was let out, and whether you want to admit it or not that was your doing, Aunt Viviane, for letting a ten-year-old boy alone in your caverns in the first place. Fortunately for you, however, Jennifer was here to clean up your messes, because if anything had happened to Aurelius fate would have been dramatically changed, for there is still a lot more fated to come for him."

"You are not a visionary, Severus. You have no way of knowing that," Viviane said.

"Just because I'm not one doesn't mean I don't have access to one…" Severus said, glancing behind him. Jennifer heard soft hoof beats and Sagittari appeared, looking very solemn. "Or perhaps two," Severus added thoughtfully, glancing at a tiny mouse that scurried out of the brush, immediately turning into a grinning Essie Brim. "Actually three, although I'm afraid Icarus really can't manage out of the castle. And perhaps even four," Severus said, glancing at Merlin. "It is true that you can't recall anything ahead of you for at least two decades, correct?"

"I don't know the exact date to when my memories are back, Severus," Merlin admitted. "After all, they are just memories."

"Understandable, Merlin, I simply want to ask one question," Severus said calmly. "Do you remember anything to in that far off future that will need Aurelius to have acted in some significant way? Yes or no will suffice," he added in a low voice.

"As a matter of fact, yes I do know of something, Severus," Merlin said, his look of surprise turning into an enigmatic smile.

"Which means, Aunt Viviane, that Jennifer wasn't changing fate, she was preserving it. In essence, she was doing your job," Severus said, then hissed softly. "Because you were not doing it yourself!"

"Really, Severus, there is no need to get dramatic," Viviane said easily, but she was obviously much more subdued now. "Fate generally takes care of itself by definition, and usually only needs to be put on track when free will throws it out of balance."

"Well, fortunately for you, Jennifer has been going out of her way using her free will decisions to put it back on track," Severus said with a slight sneer. "And what she wasn't able to do, we have done what we could to finish up for her. Is it done, Aurelius?" he asked. There was a rustle from the brush and Aurelius stepped out.

"It's done," Aurelius said with a solemn nod, glancing at Viviane. "The sword and its scabbard are safely back in the Lake where it belongs."

"Impossible!" Viviane snorted. "You can't throw it in the Lake if no one is there to receive it!"

"Yes, I know," Aurelius said with an enigmatic smile, looking behind him.

A moment later, Anna came into view, her hair still drenched and a towel around her neck. Frowning at his sister critically, Severus flicked his wand in her direction drying her hair.

"Thank you, I was trying to avoid that," Anna said curtly when her hair got quite frizzy in the process, quickly pulling it into a tail.

"A bit early in the year for a swim," Merlin said mischievously, more than a bit amused by Viviane's stony expression, her jaw locked tight.

"It was for a good cause," Anna said. "I hope you don't mind my dropping in, Aunt Viv, but I thought I'd help Aurelius return the sword to you. I just left it in the main room, since I really have no clue where you keep it. Oh, by the way… that crystal you wanted me to look for, Severus?"

"Yes?" Severus asked.

"Found it. It was two crystals, actually… a large mirror-like crystal with Jennifer's image frozen in it was sitting right across from a whole wall of crystals as if they were looking at each other, in a rather odd position. Someone could have tripped over it, Aunt Viviane, but don't worry, I moved the mirror one of the way for you."

"You what!" Viviane exclaimed, paling when she realized she lost her two greatest advantages in one swoop.

"Oh, so that's how she did it? In that case, I believe I know how to prevent that from causing any further strife if she tries to move it back, so long as my wife has the good sense to tell me about it," Severus said calmly.

"I did tell you about the mirrors, Severus," Jennifer said.

"So you did, but not in any detail... but we can discuss that later," Severus said, gazing at Jennifer. "What matters is whether or not I've convinced you that you've done nothing wrong."

"I doubt you know everything I did, Severus," Jennifer said with a dubious smile.

"Yes, so do I," Viviane said acidly.

"Well, as it so happens, Aunt Viviane, your opinion in this doesn't really matter anymore," Severus said, turning his attention back to her. "The cave is only as dangerous as what you bring in with you, and now that Jennifer is no longer condemning herself for her actions, she stands a much better chance surviving it even if you did find some way of tricking her down there. Furthermore, she would not be going alone; for whatever fate has in store for Jennifer, she will not be facing it without me."

"If you went in there, you would be far too busy trying to fight off your own demons to try and convince her that fate doesn't exist at that point, Severus," Viviane said with a shake of the head.

"On the contrary, I do believe in fate," Severus said evenly, and everyone there looked at him in surprise. "Because I believe in Jennifer. Jennifer is my fate."

"He figured it out," Jennifer murmured, stunned. "Merlin, did you hear him? He's figured out how they can both exist at the same time! Oh, Severus!" Jennifer said, both laughing and crying as she ran into his arms, practically tackling him with enthusiasm.

"Well, it is high time," Merlin said with obvious amusement. Sagittari nodded to him in agreement, while Viviane looked quite disgusted. Anna and Essie exchanged knowing smiles, while Aurelius looked positively baffled.

"You were right, Jennifer," Severus murmured softly. "Last year was about fighting fate, only I didn't truly understand at the time what that encompassed."

"Well, yes, but you were right in that fate can be changed, Severus, and its our own decisions that matter the most," Jennifer said in return.

"Then I would call that a draw," Severus decided, glancing up. "What about you, Aunt Viviane? Are you ready to call it a draw?"

Viviane, who had attempting to think up a way to recover her lost advantage over the situation, scowled at him irritably.

"After all, Viviane, Severus has made quite an admission in your favor," Merlin said helpfully.

"He is still an advocate for free will, whether or not he finally decides to acknowledge fate is beside the point," Viviane retorted.

"On the contrary, Viviane, I think the very fact that he is _deciding_ in favor of fate makes it all the more meaningful," Merlin said.

"He didn't do it for me," Viviane retorted.

"No, I do believe he did it for her," Merlin said, watching with amusement as Jennifer clung onto Severus with a glowing smile, refusing to let go. "Not that I blame him. If I had a chance to go home to a toosh like that every night, I'd probably do everything in my power to win her back too."

"You truly envy them?" Viviane said with disgust.

"Oh, yes, absolutely," Merlin said.

"Then you deserve what's coming to you," Viviane snapped before stepping over the Severus and Jennifer. "Despite your lurid enthusiasm, I do not think either of you would fare as well in the caves as you might believe. Unfortunately for me, I once made a promise to Meryl to care for you as I would her own child, Severus, and I plan on keeping that promise. You may not now nor ever enter my home."

"Then I won't either, no matter what visions you curse me with," Jennifer said.

"Quite a turn around, considering earlier you were willing to risk death to get rid of them," Viviane mused. "However, as Severus and Anna have rightly guessed, moving the crystal mirror in the cave has put to rest those visions for now, and if you make an agreement with me not to meddle that Obol again, I might be willing to let the matter drop."

"Absolutely," Jennifer said, immediately taking off her entire necklace and handing it to Severus without hesitation. "I've been ready to get rid of this thing for some time now, actually, but I admit those last visions taught me a lesson. I'd much rather live in the present from now on, thank you!" she added with such fervency that Viviane actually smiled thinly.

"I'll put this somewhere it won't trouble you anymore, Aunt Viviane, at least while I am Headmaster," Severus promised.

"That will do," Viviane decided. "Very well! I'm done with you, so get off my property! I have a sword and scabbard to secure, a home to put back in order, and now that fate and free will has been put back into balance again, I am going to go on vacation!" she declared with such fervency as she turned to walk down the embankment that Merlin blinked.

"What? And leave me unattended?" he asked in genuine surprise.

"You can deal with your own fate problems, Merlin," Viviane said before stepping out onto the lake. They peered curiously over the edge as she walked across its surface to the center. "Take care of yourself, Tatianna. Contact your cousins if you need to find me, for I will drop by to visit them before I go," Viviane said, not offering anyone else any sentiment before she descended into the water.

"Any chance you can conveniently forget where your cousins live, Aunt Anna?" Aurelius suggested.

"Well, at least she seems sincere about wanting to get away for a while," Essie said.

"Considering she's the one that caused this whole mess to begin with?" Aurelius snorted.

"Actually, I suppose it's my fault for agreeing to go along with Icarus' idea to experiment with the Obol in the first place…" Jennifer said, and then paused. "Wait a minute! This is all Ick's fault! He manipulated me!"

"Who has been manipulating whom, mother?" Aurelius challenged her.

"There seems to be a bit of an epidemic," Sagittari said solemnly.

"Oooh, wait until I get my hands on him agai….." Jennifer suddenly found a hand over her mouth.

"Let's just not follow this merry-go-round any more, shall we?" Severus advised.

"A wise idea," Merlin agreed, getting out his wand. "Anyone care for a lift to Hogsmeade?"

"Sure, why not?" Essie said. "I need to stop by Corey's anyway."

"Thank you, Essie," Severus said.

"No problem, Uncle Severus. I'm glad everything worked out," Essie said, the two of them waving before taking off on a shooting star.

"I need to run home, so I'll catch you all back at the castle later on," Anna said, Disapparating after them.

"Let's take your key back, Aurelius. I could do with a bit of a walk," Severus said.

"I as well," Sagittari said. "I am certain my father would want to hear news that the sword and scabbard have been returned to their rightful place."

"Better you giving them the news than me," Aurelius said, pulling out his key, but then paused. "And just how are we going to explain to the media what happened to the sword, let alone the Ministry?"

"I'll handle the Ministry," Severus said, Aurelius immediately looking more relaxed at that. "As for the media, why don't you tell them the truth? It isn't as if anyone would believe it," he said.

Jennifer seemed quite amused at that as they grabbed hold of the key and within hardly any time at all found themselves landing in front of the Forest Cabin. Aurelius found his hand at his side, checking for the sword out of habit and belatedly catching himself.

"This is going to take some getting used to," he decided, taking out his wand and hooking it in place of the sword.

"Do you deny that you're much better without it?" Severus challenged him.

"Of course I don't. I am much better without it," Aurelius said, but sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. "Besides, you know how I feel about all that fate business. It's nothing but a bunch of rubbish! I'll make my own fate, thank you, and I certainly don't need some stupid predestined nonsense trying to tell me what to do! I make my own decisions in life!" Aurelius said, but then paused when he heard a whinny. "Excuse me, that's Pali, I'd better go see what he wants."

Jennifer laughed softly to herself, while Severus shook his head.

"Like father like son," Jennifer teased lightly when Aurelius disappeared from view.

"Yes, well, hopefully it won't take him as long as it took me to come around," Severus said, offering Jennifer his arm before starting up the path back towards the castle. "May I ask you something, Jennifer?"

"Anything you like, Severus. I owe you at least that after what I must have put you through this year," Jennifer said.

"You don't, but I'll ask you anyway," Severus decided. "Just what was it that you saw in those visions that frightened you so much to have gone to the Lake in the first place?" Jennifer's face fell. "Something you felt you couldn't come to me about? Something having to do with me, I suppose?"

"Do you really want to know?" Jennifer asked slowly.

"I did ask," Severus said.

"Well if you must know I… had a vision of a funeral," Jennifer said.

"Oh?" Severus said, but didn't sound too surprised. "Anyone I know?"

"Oh, Severus, it was horrible!" Jennifer said, suddenly stopping in her tracks and burying her head in his chest. "I didn't want to even go over there, but Corey and the rest of the family made me… many of them calling themselves Snapes I didn't even recognize."

"Over where?" Severus asked thoughtfully.

"Over to the grave," Jennifer said with a muffled sob. "Over where your casket was sitting."

"I beg your pardon?" Severus said, and then Jennifer felt his shoulders slump in complete exasperation. "Jennifer, that whole vision is a fraud. Viviane really did have her grips in you this time, didn't she?" Jennifer stopped sobbing and looked up at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked, letting him resume their walk towards the castle.

"Are you trying to tell me that you, who have done nothing but insisted that you wanted to be cremated every time the subject is even remotely brought up, and on the occasion of helping our children with their wills suggested they do the same, that you, Jennifer, would allow anyone to bury my remains under the cold hard ground, and against my wishes for our ashes to be interned under the castle?" Severus said with a decidedly amused tone in his voice. Jennifer only had to think of it a moment.

"No, I most certainly would not," Jennifer said, a bit surprised that she even fell for it for an instant. "I would have been quite furious if anyone had even tried!"

"You are my wife, Jennifer. If you do outlive me, you would have the final word on the subject," Severus pointed out. "Nor do I believe would any of our children or grandchildren would have stood for it either, let alone the entire family at once."

"No, they most certainly wouldn't," Jennifer said, squinting as they came out of the forest and into the afternoon sunlight streaming across the grounds.

"It was your fears that you saw, Jennifer. One of them, at any rate," Severus said quietly. "Your fears of anyone in the family getting buried alive are nearly as powerful as the thought of losing me, and I believe both played a part in that. Rather silly to put your life on the line for it."

"Oh, do give me some credit, Severus! Yes, I admit I was taken in by that one, but I certainly didn't get taken in by that other one," Jennifer said defensively.

"Other one?" Severus inquired.

"Yes, the one that had you snogging up with that beautiful blonde woman when you thought I was dead," Jennifer said. This time, Severus was the one who stopped short.

"Is that what all of that bit was about the other night? That sudden interrogation about the weight and the hair?" Severus gawked at her with realization. "Why you vain, insecure, exasperating woman! If we weren't out here in the open, I'd put you over my knee here and now! And after everything I've done this year to try and win back your faith in me!"

"And you have it, Severus, truly," Jennifer said softly, putting a hand against his chest gazing up at him lovingly despite the fact that he was still looking at her accusingly. "And I truly am sorry I questioned you like that."

"Sorry isn't good enough this time, Jennifer," Severus warned her, frowning at her disapprovingly.

"Aw, get a room!"

The two of them looked up from where they were standing to see Lucky passing by with some of the other Owls, apparently coming off the fields after football practice.

"What a very good idea, Fortuna," Severus said, grabbing a hold of Jennifer, ignoring her protest. "The rest of you turn around. Proprieties, you know."

"We don't see at thing, Professor," Dale said with a grin.

"Good," Severus said, and picked Jennifer up.

"You are starting to make a habit out of this, Severus Snape," Jennifer said in mild protest.

"I'm sure there are worse ones," Severus said unconcernedly, the two of them seeming to fade away as Severus started up the steps to the castle.

"Ya know, I've heard of old people having second childhoods, but I've never heard of second time newlyweds," Gary said, scrunching up his nose in disapproval.

"I wouldn't be surprised if those two aren't on their third or fourth time around," Bobby said with amusement.

"Well, I think it's great! I'm so glad to see them back together again," Ambrose said enthusiastically.

"It's better than them fightin'," Lucky shrugged.

"How long have they been married again?" Connie asked.

"Thirty in June. I know 'cuz they're plannin' a big party," Lucky said.

"Wow," Connie said impressed as they started up the steps themselves. "I hope I meet my Cosmic Match someday!"

"Yeah, me too," Ambrose said wistfully.

"Trust me, guys, it ain't nuthin' but trouble," Lucky snorted. "You haven't had to live with those two. You think regular relationships are high maintenance? It ain't nuthin' compared to what they have to go through to keep it going. Work, work, work, all the time!"

"You can say that again," Dale murmured under his breath, following the others back to the Owl Room.


	44. Memories

_A/N Second Chaper of the Day, and Last Chapter for the Book._

Chapter Forty-Four

Memories

One by one, the members of the Order of the Owl filed into the back of the library in their best uniforms and cloaks, most of them talking about Gryffindor's landslide victory for the House Cup the night before.

"It really was inevitable that we would win," Reggie said. "After Lucky's team blew everyone off the football Pitch, and I blew away the competition at Quidditch… and finished first in sparring."

"Too bad your marks weren't as good as your sports record," Bobby said dryly.

"Good enough to get a job at the Ministry, at least," Reggie said unconcernedly.

"Well, I hope you're not going to get your heads into the idea that Gryffindor will win two years in a row. I have a feeling that whoever it is that replaces Schroeder plans to correct that," Dirk said smoothly, while Veronica, Helena and Beth all jerked their heads in his direction and rolled their eyes to let everyone else in to who it was likely to be.

"No, I wasn't," Reggie said with a shrug. "After all, I won't be here."

"Oh, gimme a break!" Lucky snorted, and the others were quick to back up her sentiment. They were still throwing paper in his direction when Boulderdash came in, and the paper wads instantly disappeared at once.

"I see you're all anxious for the summer to start," Boulderdash sneered at them, baring his teeth. "Although I hope you have enough sense to be on your best behavior for the fountain dedication today. I have had all your trunks already sent to the trains, so you need not worry about any of that when you get done."

"That anxious to get rid of us?" Bobby joked.

"As a matter of fact, as a librarian, it will be nice to actually be able to sit in read in a quiet room for a change," he said, the students laughing in response. "At any rate, since you obviously fulfilled your order's goal for the year, you'll find new stationary to go with the quills you got last year at your seats, and you will get your year appropriate color band added as you leave today. Also, as you may recall from last year, one student will leave here with a golden owl pin for achieving the most goals and earning the most feathers. Laura Lupin was our winner from last year," he snarled, and many of them threw grins at her direction, for she was still wearing her pin on her collar.

"We have a new winner this year, one that might have been quite a surprise at the first of the school year," he continued with amusement. "Someone who was not only instrumental in getting this order's fountain project organized, but also was able to accomplish every goal both on her list and the Professors' lists as well…except one; and that was her goal for not getting any feathers this year," everyone chuckled at that, having already figured out who it was going to. "She even managed to fulfill one which involved talking her father out of letting her drop out of the Sparring Club, provided her defensive needs were being met elsewhere, namely with me," Boulderdash added for good measure, Lucky smirking softly in response. "And therefore, the golden owl this year goes to Lucky Snape."

A round of enthusiastic applause and cheers went up as Lucky accepted her pin, Ambrose insisted on putting on for her as the rest got quick drinks and talked about the everything that happened that year before finally listening to Boulderdash's reminders of the time and filing out of the room, each doing a double-take at their sleeves as they stepped out to see the bands of color appearing, each year matching a color of the rainbow.

"You know, I think those first years have a real advantage over us," Bobby said when he paused to look at his green and blue band.

"I think it's splendid to be a part of it no matter what year I started in," Delia said, more than pleased to have just her one green band. "I'm so glad you had me."

"Yeah, I guess you're not so bad," Lucky said with a shrug.

"From you, I'll take that as a compliment," Delia said, the others chuckling.

"From Lucky, that is a compliment," Lindsay agreed.

"I've never heard anyone get any better," Helena agreed.

"So what is everyone's plans for the summer?" Laura asked.

"Two weeks at the beach for a healthy tan, then work as always," Dale sighed.

"Yeah, and Bobby and I get to go down too and check out the California babes, right, Bobby?" Gary said. Lindsay squinted.

"You can check them out for both of us, Gary," Bobby said quickly, feeling her eyes boring into him.

"What about you, Lucky? Want to come down for a few weeks?" Dale asked.

"I dunno. I'm guessing the Professor has something planned for their anniversary and I don't know what's going on yet," Lucky said.

"Maybe our Moms will hook up at the wedding and discuss it," Dale said.

"Oh, that's right. Your mother's finally getting married, isn't she, Ambrose?" Winnie said.

"Yeah, this weekend, she wanted to have it before the anniversary party," Ambrose said with a sigh. "Guess I'll be spending the summer getting to know my stepfather."

"But aren't you excited about that, Ambrose?" Delia asked, curious about his reaction. "You'll finally have a father at last, after all!"

"Well, just as long as mother's happy, I'm sure it'll be great," Ambrose said, trying to sound upbeat. Dale and Lucky exchanged glances over his head.

"Come on, Bill, why don't you get up here with me when we go out," Lucky suggested. "After all, you're the chairman. The fountain wouldn't have happened without you starting the Owls to begin with, you know."

"I can't wait to see it," Ambrose said with renewed enthusiasm. "I'm sure Gritbiter and Sons did a smashing job!"

But even with his optimism, he couldn't help but stop short in stunned amazement as he saw the courtyard, Lucky doing the same so that everyone else had to push their way around. For not only was there a beautiful stone fountain with white and cobalt mosaic tiles around each base and basin, but the entire courtyard had also been redone in cut granite with bronze inlay mapping out a star chart. Every now and again, Ambrose could swear that he was see a glint or a gleam out of the corner of his eyes coming from one of the stars on the chart, but he had to stand there for some time before he realized he wasn't imagining it.

"Coming down?" Severus asked from where he stood in his black brocade near the fountain, looking up at the group thoughtfully. "Or do you intend to simply stand there and block the door so that nobody can see it?"

Ambrose grinned sheepishly and hurrying down with Lucky right behind him, the others spreading out to look, some of them joining other students who had rushed to get their trunks on the carts before hurrying over to take a peek for themselves. A great many staff members were there as well, as well as Tonks, Eric, and Norman Balmweed. Sirius and Harry were standing with Anna and Ginny, and Minerva and Dumbledore were busy studying the star chart, while Jennifer sat on the edge of the fountain with her hand in the water, talking to Severus.

It was then that Sagittari arrived and Jennifer stood with a smile and moved out of the way so he could approach. He stood solemnly still as he gazed up at the top of the fountain where a bronze centaur girl was poised mid-step with a lyre in her hands and a bow strung across her back.

"Hey, they didn't do a bad job, did they?" Lucky commented from beside him, admiring the statue as well. Sagittari didn't say anything but put a hand on the girl's shoulder for a moment in quiet thanks, and Lucky smiled then went over to some of the others reading names off the tiles.

"Well there's Myrtle, and look, there's Noah's name too," Harry was saying as she came around the side of the fountain. "Here's the one you were looking for, Sirius. Amanda Elwood," Harry said.

"Thanks, Harry," Sirius said.

"Is this one the one you're looking for?" Hermione said with a smile, and Harry went over to where she was standing, crouching down next to Cedric Diggory's name.

"Yeah, that's the one. Wow, this is brilliant," Harry said, glancing at the name before gazing up at the fountain with a smile.

"My daughter's idea, actually," Severus said casually as he stepped over to them, glancing over at Lucky who was sitting on the fountain nearby and grinning softly. "In fact, it was her fountain that inspired me to have the star chart added as well."

"How come only some of them seem to sparkle? Did you run out of time on it?" Sirius asked.

"No, and I rather hope they're never filled in," Severus said. "Each one that sparkles represents a teacher who has died while they were employed here, and although they don't bear their names like the tiles do, the number of them should be accurate."

"Is one of these for me?" said a voice out of the blue, and Icarus appeared standing on top of Ursa Minor.

"Yes, and for your wife, since she taught here as well," Severus said. Icarus gazed at him wistfully for a moment, then glanced at the fountain.

"Over here, Ick," Jennifer said with a smile, and Icarus floated over anxiously to see all three of his children's names engraved in one of the tiles.

"I know the youngest wasn't technically of Hogwarts age, but Jennifer insisted," Severus said when Icarus gazed at him. "Since they were all in the castle at the time."

"Thank you," Icarus said sincerely, gazing at Jennifer, who nodded with a smile.

"I understand now, Ick. I mean, truly understand. I still don't agree…" she added with a thin smile. "But I do understand."

"So the experiment was a success?" Ick said.

"Oh yes, and so is my article on statistical divination," Jennifer said.

"Yes, but don't expect any follow ups on this one," Severus put in. "I am keeping my word and putting that Obol away for a long, long time."

"And good riddance!" Jennifer said emphatically. "Some things are better off not knowing, and really, I like a bit of surprise in my life. Besides, interfering in the present is much more effective than trying to interfere with future events, don't you think so Severus?" Severus opened his mouth and then shut it again, squinting at his wife.

"Exactly how do you expect me to answer that question without saying something that you'll use against me later?" Severus asked flatly.

"Who says you were supposed to?" Jennifer said with a wide smile before wandering over to where Minerva was standing.

"I suppose it was her turn to win one," Hermione decided, ignoring Severus' reaction completely.

* * *

The morning of the wedding was bright and warm; too bright and too warm for Ambrose's liking. But nevertheless, he dutifully got ready to go and then at his mother's insistence went over to visit Mr. Toby who had opened his shop just three days after the school's last Hogsmeade trip. Toby decided not to say much about the boy's glum appearance or the way the boy put his chin on the counter as if afraid that his head was going to fall off. Toby simply went in the back and got ready, humming when he couldn't think of any trivialities to say to try and lighten the mood. He polished his glasses and put them on his gnomish nose, and shrugged at his appearance in the mirror noncommittally before coming out for a second opinion.

"Here I am! How do I look?" Toby asked, Ambrose not even bothering to lift his chin when he looked over. "Do you think I look good enough to be in the wedding party?"

"Great," Ambrose said unenthusiastically.

"You know, your mother made this suit for me. You could at least be polite for her sake," Toby tsked at him.

"I'm sorry. It's just that it was bad enough having to go through this the first time, and now we have to go through it again!" Ambrose said with such exasperation that Toby couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, this time let's make sure we get it right so we don't have to try for a third time," Toby winked at him. "Come, come, Ambrose, cheer up! Change is a necessary part of life, you know, without it we wouldn't get anywhere. Besides, just think about how much fun you'll have this summer getting to know your new father and all, all the things you may learn from him."

"I don't want a new father," Ambrose said grumpily. Toby sighed.

"Well, it's your mother's decision, Ambrose, and I'm afraid we're both going to have to learn to live with it. Besides, just because you have a new father doesn't change anything between you and…well… whoever it is that your father is. You'll simply have two instead of one. Don't you like Bartholomew?"

"Yes I do. As a neighbor… down the street, last house on the right," Ambrose said. "Can't you please try to talk her out of it, Mr. Toby? She'll listen to you!"

"I'm not very good at talking people out of things actually, to be honest, I'd much rather talk people into things than out of them," Toby said.

"Yeah, you've said that before," Ambrose said glumly.

"Oh. Well, it's just as true now as it was whenever it was I last said it," Toby said. "Besides, I care about your mother enough to respect her decisions, and considering she's willing to give it a second shot, I rather think her mind is made up, don't you?"

"But she's not in love with him!" Ambrose said fervently. "In fact, I'm starting to think she's actually in love with my real father."

"Oh God, I hope not," Toby murmured.

"What?" Ambrose said, lifting his chin up the counter and frowning at him.

"I said, 'isn't it hot?' I suppose it must be these dress robes. Ambrose, why don't you go and open the door?" Toby suggested quickly. Reluctantly Ambrose got up, but before he could make it to the door it opened and Severus and Aurelius stepped in wearing dress robes of their own. "Oh, good morning, Severus, Aurelius!"

"Good morning," Severus said, glancing at Ambrose thoughtfully from where he stood watching them with a curiously wary expression on his face. "Aurelius is here to escort Ambrose to the wedding, Mr. Toby, and I have come to escort you. I rather think that Ashley wants to make certain that both of you show up this time around."

"I suppose it never hurts to be prepared for anything, one never knows what might happen," Toby said, Severus glancing at him thoughtfully.

"Hey, how come you never made it to the wedding, Mr. Toby?" Ambrose asked, glancing at him curiously.

"Oh, well, if you must know, it um… well, I'm afraid it slipped my mind, dear boy," Toby said, both Aurelius and Severus squinting at him in response. "And then of course you went missing, so we were all busy looking for you after that."

"So that's how Halcyon found me! You were out looking for me too?" Ambrose said.

"As a matter of fact, yes I was," Toby agreed. Severus and Aurelius frowned at one another.

"Come on, Ambrose, we'd better get going," Aurelius said firmly.

"Yes, I quite agree, it is time to stop this conversation and start doing what it is we're supposed to be doing," Severus added in a similar tone, opening the door.

"I'm sorry if I worried you, Mr. Toby," Ambrose said, before Aurelius nudged him out.

"That's quite all right, Ambrose," Toby said with a wide smile as he followed behind them.

By the time they arrived, the area was already bustling with people, the Witolf and Willowby side of the family more than making up for the fact that Bartholomew's family consisted mainly of his neighbors from Haven's Bluff. Bart looked rather solemn despite Corey's attempts to lighten the mood, but smiled faintly at Ambrose when Aurelius walked him up to take his place as ring bearer and they showed him where to stand, while Aurelius, true to his word, kept within an arm's length of Ambrose the entire time.

Finally, Ambrose looked up to see little Amber pulling a very reluctant Destiny down the aisle, apparently a little exasperated with her little sister. She stopped every few steps and tried to show Destiny how to drop the petals instead of eat them as they walked up the aisle, getting plenty of chuckles for her efforts. Hope and Natalie were next, in dresses as white as apple blossoms, then Jennifer and Rose paired together as her matrons of honor.

But Ambrose already had his eyes focused down the path to see Mr. Toby bow respectfully to his mother and offer his arm. She grasped it as if rather afraid to let go as he walked her over to the aisle and everyone stood up. But no one could miss the fact that Ashley had gone as white as a sheet.

To Ashley, everything was playing out like a dream; and not a very good one. Everyone in the aisles were gazing at her, some of them frowning in concern, while Ambrose wore the look of a child attending a funeral rather than a wedding. Bartholomew was giving her customary friendly, warm smile, but curiously enough, he seemed so distant…everyone did, as if her vision was tunnel. And nothing, nothing at all seemed real at her except for the man standing next to her, walking her down the aisle.

Abruptly she stopped, and Toby quickly caught her hesitation and stopped as well, everyone suddenly getting very quiet as they wondered what was going on.

"Are you all right, Ashley?" Toby murmured softly, frowning at the look of complete hopelessness on her face.

"I… I can't. I just can't do this," Ashley said, her voice weak but strengthening as she spoke. "I'm so sorry Bart. I'm… so terribly, terribly sorry, but I…" Ashley looked around in complete anxiety, knowing there was no way she could explain what she was going through.

Finally she gave up completely and turned to the man who was supposed to give her away, giving him a quick but passionate kiss before bolting through the Grove.

"Oh dear," Toby murmured. "She really ought not to have done that."

"It's him! It's him!" Ambrose began shouting excitedly, he words suddenly cut off by Aurelius who had leapt from his seat to get a hands around the boy.

"Excuse me a moment," Aurelius said, dragging Ambrose out of the Grove kicking and screaming, but fortunately by that time everyone was talking excitedly at once.

Corey had immediately jumped into action to try to help Bartholomew, while Rose and Jennifer both ran down the aisle to follow Ashley, pausing when they got to where Toby was still standing looking quite dazed.

"How dare you treat my mother that way!" Rose snapped angrily at Toby on her way past. "Just who do you think you are, anyhow? You're certainly not good enough for her!"

"He's nothing but a horrible, unfeeling beast, that is what he is," Jennifer said with a vicious scowl. "I wouldn't blame her if she never speaks to you again after the way you've treated her! Why don't you go crawl back under the rock you came out of?"

"You cad!" declared one of Ashley's countless aunts, all of them glaring fiercely at him as they wandered off as well, leaving poor Toby standing there blinking in surprise and completely positively baffled as he had never been baffled before.

"Might I offer you a bit of advice?" said someone from behind him. Toby looked around to see that Severus had somehow had worked his way through the mayhem that had broken out and had found his way over to his side.

"If you could just explain why they're all mad at me, that would be sufficient," Toby said, but Severus shook his head.

"Abandon all hopes of ever understanding it, old man, because you'd be just wasting your time," Severus said evenly. "You only have one option open to you at this point, you know, and that is to slip away from this madness and go find her yourself and apologize to her."

"What? For what? I haven't done anything!"

"That doesn't matter at this point, I'm afraid," Severus warned him. "Trust me, you may outmatch me in years and magic, but I have thirty years experience in this particular area and you have only one night stands. Put your hat in your hand, follow those sympathetic women until you find her, take her aside and beg her forgiveness for being male."

"What?" Toby said, furrowing his brow. "And what then?"

"Well, after you apologize, typically they're more willing to let you know exactly what you did wrong, if a bit loudly. But I'm sure you can sort it out from there. Now go, before she gets even angrier at you for not bothering her when she asked you to leave her alone!" Severus said, pointing him down the path.

"I feel as if I'm walking into a den of hungry lions," Toby muttered, but strode off in the general direction that Ashley had gone.

Severus watched him walk down the path, unable to contain a thin, sinister smile on his face. Albus stepped up to him then, glancing at the expression on Severus' face and then glancing off in the direction that Toby had gone.

"Why, Severus, you're not playing matchmaker again, are you?" Albus asked in a low voice.

"Just pointing the old man in the right direction, Albus," Severus said.

"So I see," Albus said, and then chuckled. "At this rate, I'm never going to get home."

But fortunately for Albus and despite the unexpected twist in fate, Toby visited him late that very night.

* * *

A gentle knock at the bedroom door was enough to wake Severus in the earliest of hours of the morning, somehow managing to slip away from Jennifer and dress so that Minerva and he could Apparate to the Salisbury Plains just as the sun was coming up. There within the Twilight Arc, Merlin and Albus sat among that rubble, chatting quietly to one another when they walked up.

"Oh, there they are now, Albus. You see? They did make it in time," Merlin said with a smile."

"Must you go now? We were rather hoping you would stay at for the anniversary," Severus said.

"Yes, I was rather looking forward to going myself," Minerva sighed.

"I really do need to get back, Severus," Albus said. "I had never intended to be gone so long, you know, and I forgot to water all my flowers, not to mention I've rather had trouble keeping the weeds off my tea plants that I brought back with me after my last trip."

"The weeds do get a bit hostile there. In fact, some of them make Feisty Weed look quite tame by comparison," Minerva said.

"Now that I'm staying, I'll work on a hybrid seed for you that won't have so much trouble with them, Albus," Merlin offered.

"Thank you, Merlin, I would be most appreciative," Albus said.

"You're staying?" Severus asked.

"Yes, thanks to your advice on women, Severus, it seems I've suddenly become obligated to 'work things out' as it were," Merlin said sounding slightly annoyed and perhaps even a bit accusing. "Albus is going to see to tying up some lose ends there for me. I have taught Albus the basics on how to get back and forth, and I think he can manage quite well on his own now. He's picked up on Otherworld magical quirks quite rapidly, in point of fact."

"I'm hardly surprised," Severus said.

"Either way, I believe it will be much easier on everyone concerned if two of us know how to traverse the road, and perhaps give us a bit more freedom to when to come and go. On that note, which way are you going, Minerva?" Merlin asked. Minerva hesitated, glancing at Albus.

"Oh, don't mind me, Minerva. I really do have much work to do, enough to last me several days at that, although I might miss our breakfasts, if you stay too long," Dumbledore mused.

"Not as much or as many as I would miss if I stayed, Albus," Minerva said with a smile. "But… well, if you're going to be busy for a few days anyhow… I wouldn't mind staying longer, unless I've worn out my welcome, of course."

"Hardly," Severus said. "Jennifer would never forgive me if I said otherwise."

"If you would like to stay, stay," Albus said, smiling encouragingly at her. "It will actually be fun then when you return. I'll save one of my jars of raspberry preserves for the occasion, and you'll bring back enough stories to keep both of us amused for days."

"More than likely," Minerva said with amusement, giving him a quick hug. "Could you take my new Quidditch set back? I think by the time I get back there again, I'll be ready for it."

"Of course," Albus chuckled, taking a moment to throw the miniaturized chest in his suitcase. "Farewell! I will see you all again soon!"

"And we will see you much later," Minerva said as Merlin opened the portal for him, and giving them one last wave, Albus stepped inside, the portal closing behind him.

"So, Severus, before you both head back, I was wondering if I could ask a favor," Merlin said.

"Yes?" Severus said.

"I was wondering… and actually, so was Ashley… if there could be any chance at all if you could watch Ambrose over the summer? We um… well, we do need to have a long chat, you see and if things go as I'm afraid they're going to go, Ashley is going to have to be in the hospital for awhile…"

"Hospital?" Minerva frowned.

"Yes, for a hysterectomy. I may be a demon blood, but as Ashley points out, I rather can't get her pregnant if it's not there, and even if she is past child-bearing age, I'd rather err on the side of caution. We wouldn't want two Ambrose's around, after all."

"Definitely not," Severus agreed.

"Really? Is she really going to go that far for this?" Minerva said with obvious interest. "My, this really is serious. Are you going to marry the girl?"

"No no… actually, Toby is going to marry the girl," Merlin admitted, making Minerva look even more amused. "Toby is marrying the girl because you see, Toby is Ambrose's father, and the two of them rather decided to stop fighting their attraction for each other and do what's best for the boy at the same time. And, because the only way that someone can truly see through the Toby disguise is if you truly _need_ to know…"

"Ambrose will be protected," Severus finished in a murmur, Merlin smiling approvingly at him. "Everyone will quite readily accept Toby as his father, it makes perfect sense in every way, actually."

"And no one will ever question who his father is, and the only ones who know the truth are the ones who need to know," Merlin finished with a smile. "You know, if I saw this whole marriage thing coming, I am quite sure I would have attempted to avoid it. But it's rather too late now, so I think I am going to attempt to enjoy this foreign concept of having a meaningful relationship. Besides, it's rather tough for me having to blunder my way through without knowing what's going to happen next. Having a steady hand and a nice toosh to grab should help anchor me, don't you think?"

"As long as it's Ashley's you're referring to," Severus said dryly.

"Well, there's still no rule against looking, though, is there?" Merlin said.

"We'll watch Ambrose for you, as long as you don't mind us sending him along with Lucky to California for a couple of weeks," Severus said.

"I'm sure it'll be quite all right. I think," Merlin said, but then shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Welcome to the human race," Minerva said with amusement.

"Oh, well I suppose there are worse things to be, aren't there?" Merlin said, smiling at them both before disappearing in a flash that shot across the sky.

"I wonder if Ashley has anyone to watch over the shop while she's gone, or if she's planning to close it?" Minerva mused.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask," Severus ventured. "Shall we head back for now?"

"Absolutely! After all, we still have an anniversary to attend."

"Yes, it truly is one thing after another, here isn't it?" Severus mused.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Minerva laughed.

* * *

It was easy to tell which berth they were heading to when they got to the docks. Streams of orange ribbons trailed down the ramp leading up a beautiful motorsailer, the ivory finish of the boat looking quite pearlescent in the sunlight. Jennifer took a moment to admire it from below, but then scrunched up her nose when she saw its name.

"_The Wizard's Temptation?_ What sort of name for that for a yacht?" Jennifer asked.

"It does seem rather brash," Severus admitted. "Careful on the ramp, Ambrose. Lucky, why don't you go first?"

"It's rather like all some fantastic dream," Ambrose was saying to Lucky. "Toby the Tinker, my father. Can it get better than that? I would have been happy with that without even knowing about the rest! And now that Mum has decided to go away with Mr. Toby 'to discuss a few things with him,' I just know I'm finally going to get the family I've always wished for!"

"Careful," Severus said coming up below them.

"Sorry," Ambrose said, stepping onto the deck. "Is it true, though, that I can tell anyone I like that Toby is my father? Father said it was all right," Ambrose said.

"Yes, but if anyone starts asking nosy questions about how he does things or where he goes, shrug it off," Severus murmured to him.

"Since I don't know the answers to either of those, that'll be easy!" Ambrose said.

"So where is everybody? Wait, I think I see a food table," Lucky said, and wandered towards the bow, Ambrose following behind.

"What a lovely boat!" Minerva said with appreciation as she stepped onto the deck. "And what a wonderful place for a party!"

"Yes, we often rent boats from Dorset Finn. Great way to get Severus away from people who would interrupt our vacation," Jennifer explained to her. "Although we do have to watch out for the Fomorians on occasion…gold launderers…"

"Rocks," Severus put in. "Not anchoring the ship when the Merrows decide to go for a swim…"

"Don't you dare bring that up, Severus," Jennifer said, but then got distracted by enthusiastic greetings as they reached everyone hanging out near the bow, for everyone else had already gotten there. Harry, Essie, Doug, Danyelle and Taylor waved warmly to them when they arrived, and Jennifer accepted a hugs from Anna, Corey, and Fleur but then was slightly disappointed when she put her hands out for a grandchild and very few were available and had to content herself with Michael.

The others were much, much too busy testing their Water Wings to do anything else. It had been Charles the Third (of course) who had accidentally discovered that running, tripping and falling off the boat would cause the two bracelets on his forearms and inflate into white fluffy wings, safely carrying him back out of the water and back on deck. Before long, they were all 'accidentally' falling off, but after making sure they were all tightly on, Corey gave in and decided to let them have their fun, the Merrows all swimming alongside to keep an eye on them from below.

"I hope this is a wizard's only dock," Jennifer said once she learned where they were all at.

"It is. I had a feeling with this many grandchildren along it'd be too difficult to attempt to contain them," Severus assured her, getting himself some pumpkin punch. "Care for some, Jennifer?"

"Oh, why not? How often does a Pumpkin Anniversary come along, anyhow?" Jennifer said.

"Once, Mom," Corey said with a grin.

"Now, you know what I mean," Jennifer said, handing Michael back to Alicia. "It's difficult to believe it's been so long. I remember when I felt like you were never going to get married."

"I knew it was right to wait," Corey said, smiling at Rose adoringly.

"I really don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't," Rose said.

"Okay, how many here think that she would have married a tree?" Doug teased, and Alicia and Aurelius both raised their hands.

"All right, very funny," Rose said. "But really, this is the life I've always dreamed of having, with a handsome husband and a huge greenhouse to tend..."

"And lots of extra hands to weed it," Alex put in.

"It's a great discipline tool, too. You can't imagine how quickly they'll snap to if you tell them they'll get sent to the garden if they don't behave," Corey grinned. "Even still, it's odd to think that Natalie might be off to Hogwarts in a few months."

"Might?" said a worried voice and they looked up to see her sitting above the cabin.

"Letter first," Severus put in, ignoring the frown on Natalie's face while enigmatic grins were exchanged by the adults.

"Well, Maurice will get in. He finished the top of his class, as a matter of fact," Thomas said proudly. "And he was voted 'Student Most Likely to Try and Take Over the World.'"

"Twice," Maurice put in from where he stood by the table testing the ice cream. "I got that title last year too."

"Sounds like it's going to be just another dull year at Hogwarts," Minerva said with such open amusement that Severus gave her a dirty look. "You know, though, it's hard to believe that you two have been married thirty years now. I still remember when I made you that wedding dress, Jennifer… not to mention Severus' dress robes."

"Those aren't hard to forget. He still has them in a wardrobe somewhere," Jennifer teased.

"Buried under a pile of dresses that you insist on keeping despite the fact you seem to be convinced that they can't be worn more than once," Severus retorted. "Honestly, whoever made up the concept of 'his and hers' wardrobes must have been a bachelor. We have had 'hers and hers' closets for years, and when I finally gave up and bought myself a third wardrobe for my headmaster robes, it soon became 'hers and hers and hers,' and I'm still having to fold mine into bureaus, assuming I find the space. That's not even mentioning what's gotten into my cufflink box."

"That's what you get for paying Alex to talk me into getting my ears pierced, Severus," Jennifer said in a singsong voice.

"Laugh all you like, Corey," Severus said, catching the sight of him chuckling along with the others. "Wait until you get thirty years along, so you can experience just how much one woman can accumulate."

"Well, fortunately, most of what Rose accumulates also gets dug up every season," Corey teased. "Unless you count all the books she brings home on everything from 'how to raise daffodils' to 'how to raise your children.'"

"Anything I bring in is nothing compared to how many Pensieves I trip over, Corey Willowby," Rose quickly taunted back.

"Oh, no, not that," Andrew chuckled. "It's bad enough when Mum and Father are bantering back and forth as they do, now we've got two couples doing it at once!"

"I agree, spare us the lurid details, we already have enough reasons to avoid marriage as it is," Aurelius said.

"Perhaps now's a good time to gather the kids up so you can go through the presents," Doug suggested.

"Well, if you're volunteering, go for it," Essie said, and several (mostly the women) sniggered at that.

"Yeah, fine, I will. You think you got problems? I bet I have the only wife that happens to get angry at me for something I did before I've even done it," Doug put in, but Severus raised a hand.

"I have been there, and I sympathize," he said expressionlessly, Jennifer blushing when everyone else laughed.

"Here we go again," Aurelius scowled.

"Quick, someone hand them a present," Andrew agreed with a chuckle.

"Well, I see an awful lot of presents in pumpkin anniversary wrap over there for Rose and Corey, but I don't see anything there for us," Jennifer said.

"Yes, yes, I know," Severus said, pushing her spectacles up on her nose for her, while everyone else exchanged grins. "Actually, as it so happens, when people started asking me what we could use or actually needed, I rather kept drawing up blanks and asked them to hold off. But I finally found something that you especially would enjoy, and simply asked if everyone would contribute."

"Are you stalling?" Jennifer asked testily, squinting at him.

"Try the wheelhouse, Jennifer. Perhaps you'll find it in there," he suggested. Curiously she went inside, Severus flicking his gaze over at the others who all grinned at him knowingly. Jennifer went up, admiring the hybrid layout before glancing around.

"I don't see anything!" she shouted out the window and Severus rolled his eyes in response, shaking his head when everyone else started to chuckle softly.

"Well, try harder!" Severus shouted back. "Really, she is as blind as a bat at times," he said casually to them. "Lends to the 'like witch, like familiar,' theory, I suppose."

Jennifer sighed in frustration, wondering exactly what he meant by trying harder, when there really was only so much room and so only so many places one could hide something in such limited space. She was about to give up and tell him point blank that there was nothing in there when she saw something quite peculiar about the small wheel in the center of the layout. In the center of the wheel was a tiny gold disk, which she had thought at first was probably something of a maker's mark, despite the fact it really didn't come flush with the rest of the wheel. Frowning at the oddity of that, she took a closer look, and then suddenly realized what she was looking at was a small gold button that had been embedded in the wheel itself.

A loud squeal rang out then, and the rest of the guests laughed outright at the sound. An instant later, Jennifer came racing through and into Severus' arms, hugging him enthusiastically but too excited at first to say anything else.

"I'm sorry you don't like the name, Jennifer," Severus said casually. "You may change it if you like."

"Absolutely not!" Jennifer said happily. "It's positively perfect, Severus!"

"So, any predictions as to where these two are going to be spending your two weeks off?" Francis asked Essie mischievously, getting another round of chuckles.

"I can answer that. We're going to go anywhere we want…assuming there's water," Jennifer said. "After all, the future is nothing but an endless sea of possibilities, and whether you choose to go with the tide or against it, there will always be surprises on the horizon. And that's the way I prefer to keep it, thank you very much, with one exception... and that is knowing that Severus will always be there when I need him most."

"So what you're saying is it's going to be smooth sailing from now on?" Alex asked mischievously, everyone groaning in response.

"Oh, hell no," Jennifer said with a grin. "We'll just be on the same boat from now on."

"Yes, now it's no longer a matter of sink or swim, but kicking or paddling," Severus ventured. "Although I'm quite sure there are still sharks left in the water."

"So there are, Severus, but for now, I think I'm favor of just going with the flow," Jennifer said, another groaning protest going up, "and enjoying life one day at a time."

"And so we shall," Severus agreed. "No matter what fate has in store for us."

End of Series Four Book Three

* * *

_A/N So Jennifer's fears and distrust has subsided, Severus has finally come to terms with Fate (as well as Merlin, it would seem.) and Severus and Jennifer are back on even ground once more. And it's probably just as well, considering the trials and tribulations that await them in the next book, the Curse of the Monkey's Paw.... (Spoilers to follow...) Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the book!_

* * *

_It's back to basics in this next book with a murder mystery adventure!_

_Similiar to (and in some ways a follow up to) Riddles of the King, there will be a lot of action and intrigue, with plenty of room for comedy, romance, personal triumphs, and unfortunately, personal tragedy. You'll learn more about John Carnegie's history in this book, Severus has to deal with the fact that he has a brother-in-law AND grandchild entering the school...and did I mention he starts seeing something that no one else seems to? Tsk. Toby has to try to settle into married life for the first time ever, and there will be further hints as to what happened to his memory, while Jennifer is STILL harping poor Severus about having another baby. Lucky and Ambrose are fifth years, and are bound to be in for thier own new trials and tribulations, and I promise it'll be full of twists, and much faster paced (but still room for character development). New characters (including a new DADA) too! I hope you stay tuned. I am currently midway through chapter four, and as you know, I prefer to keep eight chapters ahead whenever I can for corrections and editing and last minute changes. Expect the first chapter either next weekend or the weekend after that in..._

_Jennifer Craw and the Curse of the Monkey's Paw!_


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